


Melted Gold

by adorablejoker



Series: Broken Steel [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Batjokes, Batman - Freeform, Everyone Needs A Hug, Healing, How Do I Tag, Hurt Bruce Wayne, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Joker is Jack Napier, Joker is good, Joker is the hero, M/M, Past Torture, Psychological Torture, Self-Harm, jack napier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:46:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25458757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adorablejoker/pseuds/adorablejoker
Summary: With Harish on the loose and Batman out of commission, its Joker's new job to find and eliminate the good Doctor before he does even more damage. There is one problem though, Harish has a set of new friends, and both want Joker for themselves. What is a clown to do when he is Gotham's most wanted, most wanted?
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Bruce Wayne, Joker/Batman
Series: Broken Steel [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844047
Comments: 17
Kudos: 96





	1. Gratitude

He was thankful for the warmth of the pub, crammed in a corner in a dusty old trench and his hands wrapped tight around a cup of coffee. He was thankful for the trench that he bought of a peddler for his nice jacket, that kept him hidden in the open. He was thankful for the thick rimmed hat he borrowed from Gordon, not quite sure yet if he would give it back, but the hat did wonders to hide his hair and face. He was thankful for the gloves he dug out of the trash hours ago to hide alabaster skin.

He was most thankful for the bar keep, allowing him to huddle in the corner with his coffee and french-fries, ones he actually paid for. He shivered, he had a lot to be thankful for while the cold outside became more and more bleak, powdered snow beginning to dust along rooftops and street sides. Soon the city would be as perfect white as he was.

Joker rubbed his hands together, he couldn't really feel the cold anymore, his chemical dip years ago had numbed him from the elements while also keeping him in a constant amount of sharp pain. Pins and needles dancing up his legs and through his nervous system like ants on a hill. He was so use to it that it was easy to ignore. What wasn't easy to ignore was the radio static behind the bar. Every morning a familiar voice whispered along the empty station to hand out what little clues he had to the whereabouts of old friends.

_Roses are Red_

_The Streets are Two_

_The Queen Stands Guard_

_And her Knights Love you..._

The voice was eerie and hushed and hard to hear, but Joker could catch a pin drop in a night club if he had too. He stood, thanked the man behind the bar and headed out. He knew what Riddler was hinting at, and although Gotham didn't have one, Joker knew where the unofficial Red-Light District was in the city, and he knew exactly who the Queen of the Whores was.

~~~~~~~~

Sometimes you had to pay for what you need, and when you didn't have money, well, you used what you had to get it. Joker had cash on him, he was lucky, but the ladies of The Ally were less fortunate. Some as young fourteen could be seen draped over cars and hustling Johns for their next meal. Joker paid the girls no mind, he was after their leader.

She had many names, this woman, some called her Queen, others called her Red, but these girls, these poor orphans, street rats and throw-aways...

They called her Mama.

And Mamas don't come soft. Mama was large with boobs that could kill a man and an ass that would make them apologize for it. She had thick red curls that swam down her shoulders and over pale cleavage. Her sharp eyes as blue as Joker's were green and thick full lips painted black. She was a real knock out, and Joker knew she would claw anyone's eyes out who dared look at her, or her girls the wrong way.

Mama was a bear, and she protected her cubs from danger.

"What are you here for?" Mama snapped, tapping pretty red nails against the old, worn table. Joker flashed her a couple bills and put them down between them, "What you payin' for, Doll?"

"Information," Joker drawled and watched his cash vanish down Mama's top, "Anyone suspicions been lurking around?"

"Besides you?" She asked, adjusting herself and crossing her legs, tight jeans highlighting all her assets, "A couple, no more than usual."

Joker hummed and traced some cracked in the wood, letting his fingers dance and play, hopping from one track to the next much like his brain was doing. His thoughts jumped from one idea to the next, hopping and skipping like a rabbit in the meadow and suddenly he had a thought.

"Anyone coming around liking them young?"

"A lot like them young, Gotham has some real freaks out there and not all of them look the part," Mama huffed, crossing her arms under her chest and tilting her head in thought.

"Likes them blond and pale, think Alice," Joker explained,

"Like Wonderland? You askin' if the Hatter been around these parts, cuz he hasn't," Mama tossed it off and then her face stilled, and she thought for a long moment. Joker waited and continued to play with the table, letting his fingers hop from one imperfection to the next. 

Finally he stood, passing her another bill, "You see anything, let old Jack know."

"Don't be a stranger, Doll, if you need somethin' to keep you warn, we can give it to ya," Mama purred and Jack laughed,

"Thanks for the invite, but I'll pass, but if the snow gets too much, I wouldn't say no to a whiskey," He left, slipping out and the wind passed through him, leaving a chill. Maybe he was wrong, or maybe he was looking at the wrong man, maybe it wouldn't be Hatter sniffing around for an Alice.

_He was Alice_

So who else would be pestering the vermin of the streets?

"Roses are red..." Joker hummed and swayed where he stood "Roses are red, the streets are too...to...two?" Joker brought up two fingers "The streets are two...The Queen stands guard, and her Knights love you..."

Joker hated riddles, but he was glad for the hints and clues and with Riddler giving them out so vaguely you sometimes had to think sideways to understand. Roses are Red could have been easily a throw away line, but he suspected it would be the rose red color of Mama's hair, and of course Mama was Queen, but she didn't have Knights, and as much as this was a Red District, it was an ally, not a street.

"But not a dead end," Joker whispered and looked both ways, "Roses are Red...Queen, still Wonderland, but not Alice."

He walked down the ally, dodging the dodgy and back into the public roads, slipping through the crowd. He continued to mumble, trying to unplay the play on words.

"Roses are Red, The Streets are Two, The Queen stands Guard and her Knights love you...love...who?" Joker hummed and tilted his head side to side and then paused. "Hatter called Harish the Queen of Hearts...her knights were...playing cards?" He knew he was on the right track, but Riddle knew so many random facts about random people that sometimes it took some digging.

"Red, Two, Guard, You..." He thought perhaps a hidden message in the last words like the last babble of words just last week, it was how Crock had been discovered belly up in the bay with a month of rot growing around him, it hadn't been pretty. "Knights love you...me?"

_Roses are Red_

_The Streets are Two_

_The Queen Stands Guard_

_And her Knights Love you..._

Suddenly it clicked, this wasn't a clue to a new body, it was a warning, a warning for Joker himself and he found his feet moving at a faster pace. He remembered a pair of cousins, the Tweeds, more commonly known as Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum for their identical appearance of each other and the Wonderland characters. Joker had hired them as muscle on more than one occasion, had hired them time and time again. They had been a reliable duo and helped him in many of his misadventures with Batman.

They had also been in Arkham the same time he had been. They had become forcefully separated and treated, turned against one another and had hunted Joker down and took their tantrums out on him when they caught him. They had nearly snapped him arm in half before Riddler himself came to his aid. They had crawled their way into a corner to lick their wounds while the Tweeds turned back on each other.

There was no telling what Harish could have done with them after he had left, they had worked with him for so long that it wouldn't shock him if Harish turned his brutality on to them. Harish had wanted all of him, and the Tweeds knew some intimate information.

Including all his known hideouts.

Joker had very little time to make it back to his current burrow, pack and leave. He needed to find a new hideout, someplace where he could work but not be bothered. Maybe he would take Mama up on her offer, no one would expect Joker to be tucked away in a whore house.

He rounded the corner and came to a stop when he heard a familiar sound of someone wrecking his things. No time left he had taken too long to figure out the clue. Quietly, Joker made a 180 and headed back into the public, pulling his coat tighter around himself, tightening Gordon's had around his head and blowing warmth into his hands to hide his face. He made his way back towards Mama's, she wouldn't mind the extra hand to help, or the cash in his wallet, so long as he kept to himself and didn't bother the girls or rat anyone out for their work, she'd take him in.

Mama took in the throw-aways after all.

Joker was thankful that night.

Thankful for the warmth of four walls and a soft blanket. He was thankful for the mattress under his back and despite the company of a scared, red headed boy who just couldn't sleep he was thankful for the shelter. He was thankful for Mama and her whores, a Lioness and her daughters who seemed ready to protect anyone who entered their den.

He was thankful for Riddler who risked his message not being heard or understood but tried anyways, Joker would need to thank him for it later. He was just thankful that he was still alive and not under the influence of whatever Harish had planned for him.

Tonight he was lucky, which was more than what he could say for most nights. Tonight, he gained a friend in the form of a bear in the body of a woman and also in the form of a scared little boy tucked up against his feet with a head of ginger hair and too old eyes.

Tonight he was grateful, tomorrow...well...tomorrow was tomorrow.


	2. Guardian

He was scared, and he could admit that to himself, he was scared, and he was alone. Joker took comfort in Mama's hospitality, but he couldn't stay there forever, and he found himself wandering the streets with a red-haired kid who refused to leave him alone.

"Jason, you can't keep following me," Joker sighed, exasperated but the young teen continued to trail him, "Jason, go home!"

"I don't have a home, and I'm not one of Mama's whores," Jason snapped and kept pace. Joker groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. He would admit that the kid was at least self sufficient, but he was still a kid and Joker didn't want to be responsible for him if he could help it. Still, Jason continued to follow, his light chatter filling the air as they wandered around Gotham's underground. He still needed clues on how Harish was able to work while still in the hospital. He needed to know who else was out there, he only had a handful of people accounted for and he was positive there was more still wandering the streets.

He briefly wondered if he should get help from Ivy or Selena but let that thought die in his head. They were both broken enough as it is, he didn't need them being caught up in the mess that was Harish.

He thought bout going home to Bruce, but he couldn't face that man after what had happened; besides, he was still up in the Watchtower being treated for whatever Harish managed to do to him. He knew Barbra was doing okay and Richard had been in the paper for some academic award, so the kids were fine.

Joker paused in his movements, a shadow danced in his peripherals and he grabbed Jason's shirt, pulling him against a wall and pressed him tight. Jason made a sound to protest but felt Joker's arm shake against his chest and his argument fell short. There was a stillness as Joker's eyes surveyed the area, skipping from one face to the next, his head tilting one away and another to catch every little sound.

"What is it?" Jason asked, stepping closer to the man, trying to hide himself behind him. Joker didn't scare easy, at least not while awake.

"Come on," Joker took Jason's hand and lead him away, he wasn't sure if they were being followed or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but he wasn't comfortable with staying in one spot for too long. He twisted and turned, leading Jason down ally ways and in a confusing path of back ways and dive bars. They moved for nearly two hours before Joker paused and looked around

"I'm tired," Jason complained, his worn-out shoes pinching his feet and he jumped when he heard a trash can fall over. Joker reached for him, pulling him close and almost under his trench, eyes fixated on the man standing at the mouth of the ally way.

"Hello, Alice," Hatter sang, stepping closer. Joker stepped back, keeping Jason close as he watched Hatter sway in spot, a dirty rat perched on his shoulder and hissing at them.

"Who's Alice?" Jason whispered and ducked deeper into Joker's coat when the man shushed him.

Hatter gasped and tried to move closer, to get a better look at who Joker was trying to hide. "Who is your friend Alice?"

Joker turned again to keep Jason hidden as he backed them towards the bar they had just came out of. Hatter stepped closer still, his rat leaning over his shoulder with a screech, hissing in to Hatter's ear.

"Now, Now Door Mouse, no need to rush Alice," Hatter said, his voice sweet as sugar but dripping with venom, "Alice will learn to share his toys."

"The only thing that needs to be shared is how Harish is still operating," Joker snarled, slipping off his coat and letting it drape over Jason's body, keeping his face and hair hidden. "I know you know something Hatter, now spill."

"The Queen of Hearts?" Hatter questioned and a sickening smile crossed his lips with too many teeth and a crazed look that darkened his face. Joker felt like he was looking in a mirror with that smile, it didn't look good on Hatter. "The Queen is in his Palace."

"And where is that?" Joker growled, waving at Jason to take off, if this ended in a fight then he would feel better if the kid were out of harms way.

"In Wonderland of course," Hatter breathed and his eyes danced between Joker and Jason, watching them with that sickening smile still plastered on his face, "You should come with me, Alice, I have tea just for you."

"Not a fan, actually," Joker hissed, "I prefer coffee."

Hatter took his words as a personal insult and howled, rushing Joker with his hands outstretched and ready to make him bleed. Joker let the smaller man come to him, calling out to Jason to run as Hatter leaped towards him and then...

...There was the sound of hollow metal hitting solid bone and Hatter hit the dirt, his rat screamed as Jason kicked it in to the nearest wall and the animal scurried to find a place to lick it's wounds.

"You okay?" Jason asked and Joker glared at him, "What?"

"I told you to scram, he could have killed you, you know," Joker hissed, looking over Jason to make sure the kid wasn't hurt before ruffling his hair, "Thanks kid."

"Does this mean I can hang around?" Jason asked, a cheeky grin on his face as he swung around the pipe he had used to put Hatter out for the count. Joker barked out a laugh and shrugged, ruffling red hair again before he continued walking, his young charge racing after him with his coat still hanging off his too thin body.

They spent the rest of the day at a small diner, Joker with a coffee in his hand and Jason eating the first full meal he had had in months. They tucked themselves deep in to the corner, Joker hidden by his trench and hat while Jason enjoyed his meal. The man behind the counter turned on the radio, the soft static filling the empty diner, the gentle background noise lulling the two of them into sort of calm after their run in with Hatter and his rat.

It was getting late, nearly midnight when Jason dozed off in his seat and the man behind the counter took the radio off it's perch and handed it to Joker, giving him a nod as he continued to serve the few starved men who were able to beg for their breakfast during the daylight hours.

Joker waited, he waited as a man stepped into the place and tried to rob the diner, only to see Joker and turn tail and run. He waited as a woman in a pretty red dress sauntered in and solicited herself to whoever would listen before sitting with Joker and making small talk. One of Mama's girls, so Joker chatted back and handed her a bill simply for her time and a let her eat whatever fries Jason hadn't finished off.

She blew him a kiss and hour later and picked up a rich looking screw up right outside the door. Joker waited as a sad looking couple dropped in for a coffee, the young woman left, the man stayed behind and cried into his mug. He was there until three before he left, a pretty ring set on the counter for anyone to steal. Joker picked it up and put it in his pocket, money was money and engagement rings were worth a few meals.

He sat there as early morning workers pulled in for their coffee and graveyard shift slumped over their tables for their dinner. He turned the radio on and listened to the static as is crackled in his ear, ignoring the sleepy whispers of Jason as he woke and ordered himself breakfast on Joker's dime. He ignored the fresh cup of coffee put in front of him as he fiddled with the dial.

"What are you listening too?" Jason asked and Joker shushed him as the static cleared at exactly 6:06 am and he zeroed in and focused as Riddler's voice became to softly speak.

"No scepter or crown  
But still called a Queen  
No subjects to rule  
But they still follow me

I don't have a Kingdom  
But I do have a Palace  
I'm free from my Prison  
And looking for Alice.

Who Am I?"

The radio fell back in to silence and Joker felt his heart race and Jason blinked slowly, watching as the man in front of him tossed bills on the table, thanked the man at the counter and dragged Jason out of the place. The man's stride was hard to keep up with, Jason was nearly running as they twisted their way through the streets and back down towards Mama's place.

"What's going on?" Jason demanded when they got inside, following Joker as he ducked around a couple of the girls and into his room where he started to pack. "Jack!"

"Jason, you are staying here, do you understand me?" Joker hissed at him, tossing what little belongings he had into the backpack he swiped, "I can't have him find you too."

"You can't just leave me here! I can't work here! I won't work here!" Jason cried, panic sounding in his voice as he rushed the room and grabbed on to Joker's trench desperately, "Please don't leave me here."

Joker sighed and untangled the kid's hands from his coat and ruffled his hair, picked up his bag and headed out. Jason made a keening noise and followed after him, arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to keep the other close.

"I'll follow you!" Jason threatened, blue eyes wet but to stubborn to cry, "I'll follow you!"

"Jason!" Joker tried and whirled on him and saw the freckled red head just staring at him with wet blue eyes and hands still reaching for him.

"Please don't leave me here," Jason begged, and Joker's heart dropped as girls surrounded them, watching Joker watch Jason.

"Come on kid, we knew he wouldn't be here forever," Mama said and dropped her hands on Jason's shoulders, "Let him go."

"No," Jason coughed and shook her off, racing for Joker and throwing his arms around Joker's chest and clung to him, "Take me with you."

Joker looked down at the mop of red hair and heaved a sigh, placing a hand on it and ruffling the curls and soothing them back from the young face that was buried desperately in his chest. He understood why Jason wouldn't want to stay here with Mama and her girls, he understood why he wouldn't want to work the streets like them. He was a good-looking kid and it would take very little to get him as fucked up as the rest of them. Jason wanted out of all that, he had dreams and Joker shouldn't be the one he looked up to for them.

"If you fuck up once, Kid, I'm sending you back here in a body bag, dead or not," Jack said and Jason looked up at him and the smile on his face spoke a million thank yous. "I mean it!"

"Promise!" Jason said and Joker looked up at Mama who crossed her arms and gave him a glare, a parental kind of look that he could remember on Alfred's face.

"I see him dead, you're no longer welcome here, understand that Doll?" Mama said and held out her hand. Joker huffed a laugh and shuffled through his pockets and pulled out the engagement ring he dropped in there earlier and flipped it to her. She caught it and inspected the princess cut blood diamond set in perfect gold. "You come back in one piece too, you hear me."

"Whatever Mama needs," Joker said, tipped his hat and headed out the door, Jason rushing after him.

"What first?" He asked and Joker looked down at him and smiled playfully.

"Disguises,"


	3. Grievous

A young man with ebony hair and sapphire eyes walked the streets of Gotham with a lolly-pop in hand in a cat hoodie and ripped jeans. He looked harmless as he walked the sidewalk, the hood hiding freckled face as he turned down an ally and continued to move with little care to the world around him. He popped the candy in his mouth and leaned against a wall for a moment, humming a song in his head before he took a deck of cards out from his pocket and started to play with them, shuffling them from one hand to another. He inspected his black painted nails before he shoved off the wall and continued to walk.

The sun was down by the time the kid stopped again, creeping up on what looked to be an abandoned apartment complex, ducking low to keep out of the view of the windows. He peeked into the building before vaulting over and inside. He crept closer to the stairs, crawled up them on all fours to stay as low to the floor as he could. Keeping himself on hands and knees he slipped passed rooms filled with druggies and drunks lost in their own addictions. He found a room with caution tape plastered to the door and pulled a key out from his pocket and unlocked the door, letting it swing open while he stayed out of the line of sight. When no sound escaped the room, the young teen slipped inside and shut the door, locking it, and flicking on the lights.

"Okay, I'm in," Jason said into the walkie and started to ransack the room.

"Be careful," Joker's voice hissed back, "Grab what I told you to and then leave, do you understand?"

"Got it," Jason said and opened all the drawers and found all the squeaky floor boards, pulling everything out from hidden crevasses and stashed them in to his hoodie before heading for the closet and grabbed the garbage bag from the shelf and scrambled to unpin the deadly silken flower off the suit inside and clipped it to his sweater. He threw the bag back up on to the shelf and headed back out. "On my way out."

"Hurry up, kid," Joker sounded antsy and Jason quickly made his was from the building and out the door, ducking back in to the crowd and vanishing in to the background, pulling another lollipop from his pocket and popping it in his mouth, playing with the petals of the silk flower on his chest.

Joker had started sending him out on away missions a few weeks after they left Mama's. They were never in one place for long, grabbing what they needed from little boltholes around the city and moving somewhere different. Joker had dyed his hair black to make it easier to lose him in a crowd, bought him the hoodie as a joke, saying if Joker was Alice, he might as well be Cheshire Cat.

They had argued because there was already a Cheshire running around but Joker said that if he put him in a white rabbit hoodie, he would be way to easy to spot in the dark. Jason said he wouldn't wear a white rabbit hoodie anyways, he'd look ridiculous.

So, Jason became the Cheshire Cat to Joker's Alice. He wove around more people and ducked around a couple corners and through ally ways, dashing down the streets and then leaving the city all together and headed for the hills and towards the warehouses, ducking inside and headed up where Joker was building a computer system.

"Hey Jack," Jason smiled and dropped everything he had found and set the flower beside it all. The pile was made out of vials and capsules, there were some memory cards and a gun plus a few things that would seem like junk to anyone else but were deadly when used properly. Clacking teeth were a fun gag...if they didn't explode when you wound them up.

"Were you followed?" Joker asked and Jason shook his head, stripping off the cat hoodie and pulling on a t-shirt, collapsing on the mattress near by with a yawn, "Get some sleep then kid, we'll get something to eat later."

"Where do you keep getting cash from, Jack?" Jason slurred and Joker gave a small smile and pressed a finger to his lips and winked, "Another secret?"

"I'm full of them," Joker said and ran his fingers through his curls, "Sleep, kid."

Jason yawned and rolled over, dropping off in moments. Nothing could quite beat sleeping like a teenager, without a care in the world and so deeply. Joker pulled the credit card from his pocket and looked down at it, Bruce's name printed on it and his signature neatly scrawled on the back. He had taken it when he had left the house, promising to himself only to use it as needed and he would assume that Alfred kept tabs on Bruce's spending, or at least someone did. The card hadn't declined yet and he continued to use it, it wouldn't shock him if Bruce handed out his card to his friends and family to use freely, he had the image of someone who would.

He debated on calling Alfred more than once, and now that he had a kid to look after, it burned his soul not to call up the older man and ask for advise of some kind about raising a teenaged boy. Jason was a rebel, but he didn't want to be left behind so he did as he was told. Jason had a violent streak though, so Joker had to curb that in to something useful before he hurt himself with swinging around knives and crowbars. He had the kid doing spy work and breaking into his old hide aways to gather some much-needed supplies and weapons. He had the kid training on some butterfly knives and teaching him to shoot, so if the need came, he'd be ready. They had been working for a few weeks and the kid was showing some serious promise in what little training he had.

"Street smarts got you far kid," Joker muttered as he continued to hook up his computer system, some of which was stolen and the majority made by whatever he was able to get out of his bolts. Jason was a talented pick pocket though and was able to buy some of the smaller parts and whatever Joker couldn't steal he hesitantly used the card in his pocket, he would work off the debt later, but for now he had to get in to Harish's head.

He needed a location, and he knew that Harish wasn't back at Arkham because Riddler was still sending out his messages, the one that had him running had been very clear that Harish was loose and had settled somewhere. Joker and Jason's run in with Hatter earlier that day giving him a head start. Riddler knew about Hatter's Wonderland, so either Riddler was in contact with Hatter in some way or Riddler was in contact with Harish, or vice versa.

Harish either had Riddler, or Riddler had Hatter who had Harish, someone was working for someone and he wasn't sure who, so he needed answers. He worked until the sun came up and then back down, working the computer until it would finally boot up and run properly, connecting everything up to work smoothly and finally setting it up enough that he could work and not worry about someone finding a backdoor and shutting down his entire system. He finally let it rest when Jason shoved a takeout cup in front of his face with the smell of cheap coffee and a muffin was jammed into his mouth.

"You promised me food," He complained. Joker groaned as he ate, taking the coffee and drinking deeply, "Come on, I'm starving."

"Okay, okay," He grumbled, stood, and stretched. "What time is it anyways?"

"Five PM," Jason said, "You should actually sleep when we get home, but if you don't eat first, you'll regret life."

"You don't know my eating habits," Joker snipped, and Jason raised a brow at him,

"What eating habits?" He sassed and took a bite of his own muffin and grabbed a sweater and tossed it on, throwing Joker his trench and plucked the hat from on top a mannequin neither were quite sure how it got there. The two of them were able to walk their way back into the city and vanish into the night crowd, they had become good at vanishing in a moments notice. Joker's eyes were ever vigilant while Jason looked cool and collect, but he knew the kid had a knife stashed on him somewhere and the boy had learned to free run himself over just about anything.

Jason turned them in to a cheap diner that had a pin ball machine, ducking inside and waving at the servers. Joker followed and found a seat in a corner, handing Jason some quarters for the pin ball game and then pulling up he menu. They needed to start eating better, but they didn't have anything to cook with. He longed for Alfred's kitchen and everything that came with it. Cheap food was better than no food though and he ordered a chicken salad for himself and got a burger with a salad for Jason, the boy ate way too many fries. Their server left them with a pitcher of water and headed for the back while Jason amused himself with the machine.

Joker was given time to think while Jason played, and the server ignored them. He was able to think of Bruce and if he was back home or not, think of the kids...young adults? Barbra was in university now, wasn't she? Richard would be in high school, so they were more like young adults. He thought of Alfred and his hot chocolate and chess matches and he wondered if the old man was doing alright. His mind continued to wander, a rare occurrence now, he was usually so high strung from all the stress.

His thoughts then turned to Harley and the Hyenas, he wondered if their souls would ever be at rest or if Harley was damned to be alone for all eternity. He thought of Ivy and Cat and how they would miss her more than he would. He wished he could do something for her, but her ashes were lost to the wind, at least that would be some kind of freedom.

He shook himself off when he felt moisture pool at his eyes and looked up as Jason gave a cheer and continued his game, eyes fixed on the ball being pinged around, a wide smile plastered on his face. Joker had to focus on him, Harley was gone, there was nothing he could do about that, but this kid was here and now, and he needed someone to look after him.

"Here ya go, sugar," The waitress shook him out of his daze and Joker tipped his hat to her, "Cute kid ya got here, where's his Mother?"

"Dead," Joker drawled, whistling sharply to catch the boy's attention. Jason rushed over and slid into the booth and wrinkled his nose at the salad, "You can't live off fries and gravy, eat your salad."

"Listen to your father, kid," The waitress winked and sauntered away. Jason snorted, throwing a cheeky grin at the man who kicked him under the table. Jason laughed as he picked at his salad, finally eating it when Joker withheld his quarters until he finished it, letting the boy go only when his plate was finished.

They stayed at that diner for a couple hours, Joker paying for sodas and coffee while Jason continued to play pinball, cheering when he got a new score and cussing when his ball dunked itself down the center in imminent death. Joker scolded him every time, but Jason continued to bad mouth the machine until they finally left, tipping the waitress and leaving the diner behind. Gothem had fallen back into darkness, nearing midnight again as they sank into the ocean of people and blended into the crowd.

They were able to get back to their hide out without being followed or stopped, for once they felt safe enough to turn off the lights and find their beds, well Joker had a bed, Jason found his pile of blankets and pillows and collapsed. Joker groaned, pulling the blankets over his head as the pain set in. Pain from the past beatings by Batman and then from Harish and his treatment. A headache settled near the back of his head and he curled into himself as his joints complained as he tried to settle himself to sleep. He knew the nightmares would come but there was very little he could about them.

The heartache came next. He missed Alfred, he even missed Dick and mostly, he missed Bruce the most. He would have even enjoyed the old Batman, he just wanted to listen to him laugh again. He remembered their first dinner, and then the moment he held him when he panicked. He remembered the warmth he felt when Batman draped his cape over him when the feeling of safety when he was in the man's arms.

"I miss you," Joker whispered softly to himself, curling deeper in to himself and wrapping his arms tightly around his legs and whimpering in to his knees, "I miss you."


	4. Guidance

The news was in an uproar with his face. Bruce Wayne seen in public after months of radio silence. His picture was plastered on every station and on ever newspaper. Joker was glued to his computer as Louis Layne herself approached him from his front gate.

"I just needed some time off the grid," Bruce said with his winning smile. Joker felt his heart break, that smile was a painted on picture, and by the forced laugh from Louis, she knew it too. Louis tried to pick up a conversation with him asked him a few open-ended questions on where he had been hidden away and why he didn't call her! They were friends after all.

Bruce just laughed. The sound didn't send shivers up Joker's spine like it use too, it was dull and muted, like listening to it behind glass. Those baby blues were tainted with something dark, something...hurt. Joker felt rage bubble up from his chest, escaping his lips in a breathy giggle as he came up with plan after plan on how to make Harish pay. The man needed to suffer for taking that beautiful laugh away from the world, one he worked so hard to get his hands on to. He wanted to make Harish scream, make him bleed, he wanted him to feel real, true pain.

"Jack?" Joker jumped and looked at Jason, watched him flinch back. Joker felt the smile on his face, felt the tears in his eyes and he could just imagine what he must sound like, giggling like the mad man he was. Had been? His eyes stared unblinking at the boy who slowly made his way towards him, reaching out to him as he would a wounded animal. Small hands touched his head and patted gently, rhythmically, soothing him, and bringing him back to this reality. Jason continued to pat his head like he would a child, or dog. Joker watched the boy's chest as he breathed, his own slowing to match the gentle rise and fall. Jason's hand became still as Joker's breathing calmed and the giggling faded away.

"You back?"

"Harish needs to die," Joker growled.

"We knew this, what else?" Jason asked with a shrug and shoved his hands in to his pockets, "You been on this guy forever now, are we going to do something about it or just keep talking about it?"

"He's dangerous, Jason,"

"I know, you said that," Jason sassed, grinning wildly, "He's also smart, and will tear me apart if he got his hands on me, the thing is, is he don't know me, just knows of me, and we don't know that for sure either."

"Jason..." Joker warned, and the boy flopped back on to the bed, "Jason, don't do anything stupid."

"Come on, Jack, I want to do more!" Jason complain, rolling around on the sheets like a hyper puppy.

"No, Jason," Joker snapped and eyed him, "He'll kill you, or worse!"

"Okay! Okay..." Jason mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting. Joker groaned and sat down on the bed, flopping back on to it and letting Jason swipe at him lazily with an ill attempt to make him go away. "I just want to help."

"You help better when I know you're not bleeding on the pavement," Joker drawled, turned to face the boy. Jason sighed dramatically, tossing his hands up in defeat before he found his blanket and rolled himself up into a kiddo burrito.

"Goodnight Jack," He mumbled, still sounding sour but at least he wasn't fighting Joker on it anymore and the green haired man clawed his way up to his pillows and collapsed, kicking Jason out of his foot space before finally finding sleep.

He couldn't move! He was staring at Jason as the good doctor injected the boy over and over again with serum after serum. The boy was screaming around a gag, drool and blood dripping down his chin as his voice howled and his eyes bulged. Harish continued to laugh as Joker pulled against his own restraints. He felt his shoulders pop, his voice had run ragged and he still tried to howl out Jason's name.

"Leave him alone!" Jack demanded, "Use me! Please! Leave him alone!"

Harish just laughed, pulled out another syringe, another bottle of something and turned back to Jason. The boy was staring at him, eyes wide and bloodied from something, nose dripping, teeth cracked against the gag but still he screamed.

"No!"

"Jason!" Jack sat up and Jason was sitting right in front of him, hands coming out to press against his cheeks and Jack trembled, "You're here, you're here, you're okay..."

"I'm okay," Jason promised, and Jack fell into his small chest and sobbed. Jason hugged him around the head, patting him again and saying nothing but feeling everything. He has heard Jack's mumbling and woke up when he got a foot in his ribs. He had wanted to give the older man a kick in the ass but when he had heard his own name and Jack's sobs he wanted to try and wake him. He had shaken him, called out but nothing had helped. Jack had woken up with tears in his eyes and a look of such absolute terror that Jason felt scared himself. He now understood why Jack didn't want him going out alone, if this was just nightmares, what would happen if Harish actually got him hands on him.

"Jason..."

"I won't go looking for trouble," Jason finished, "I won't do anything stupid, I promise."

"Good boy," Jack breathed and pushed back. His toxic colored eyes were shot with blood and he suddenly looked too old and too tired to be doing what he was doing. Jason bit his lip and turned back towards his nest of blankets and pillows, curling in on himself and sighing. A strong hand rested on his shoulder for a moment and then another blanket was added to his pile before Jack stood and headed back to his computer. Jason didn't blame him for running away from his nightmares, whatever it was that scared him, Jason felt it in waves.

"Hey Jack," Jason mumbled, curling deeper in to the blankets and shivering,

"Yeah kid?" Jack rasped, his voice raw with emotion,

"When this is over, can we go home?" He asked and Jack was silent for a hard moment and Jason feared he may have crossed a lie somewhere,

"I think Bruce will love you, kid," Jack said softly, "He needs a brat that will keep him on his toes."

Jason giggled and the tense room fell away into something less painful and Jason yawned before dropping off again, leaving Jack to wonder if what he said was true. Could Bruce take on another kid? Would he be able to handle Jason's volume and endless energy? Would Bruce Wayne ever be able to take the spook of a child sneaking up behind him? He didn't know, he couldn't now, he hadn't been around to help him heal. How could he be when he himself was still so broken, when he himself still wanted blood. He missed Bruce and his deep laughter and soft voice, he missed the feel of his arms around him when the world had been too much, but here he was out in the cold with Bruce in his big dark house with nothing but a Robin to keep him company.

Jack took a deep breath and held it, he couldn't cry, he couldn't fall apart, not here, not now, he had time later, time when all this was over and Harish was burning so deep in hell Harley would never see him again.

"I'll get him for you, Pooh," He whispered to the computer, "And for Ivy, and Cat, and whoever else suffered, I'll make him pay in blood and more."

The computer hummed and Jack watched the screen as signals flashed and played, he could hear music, radio talk and static, but nothing more. Riddler wasn't on and while the clock ticked passed his usual play, the man was silent. Jack became worried and clicked along his saved stations but still there was nothing. He wondered if Harish finally got to the man, wondered if Riddler finally lost all hope left and ended it himself. Riddler was never late, but then all of a sudden a voice... 

'Jack be nimble,  
Jack be Quick'

Jack froze and strained, Riddler's voice was panicked, he was racing through his words with labored breath and Jack felt panic fill his lungs. 

'Hit his head with a Candle Stick'

Riddle was still quiet and his voice was strained 

'Jack be Quiet   
Jack be Still  
Jack you need to find his kill'

Jack strained his hearing and then, for a moment, absolutely nothing but breathing and panicked little sounds as Riddler sobbed silently from where ever he made be hiding. Jack felt his heart in his throat, wanting to reach in to the computer and rip Riddler out of wherever he was and bring him home. 

'Jack be nimble   
Jack be Quick  
Twoface learned of all your tricks!'

Riddler's voice was a sudden howl, there was a thud and some kind of scuffle and then the sound of pounding feet. Jack stood, his chair falling back as more memories flooded his head. The scent of cigars, the scar on his neck, hands gripping his hips until they bruised. He could taste him in his mouth and still hear his laughter in nightmares that spaced themselves next to Harish. 

Laughter that echoed through the Radio as Twoface's voice spoke to him from wherever he had found Riddler. 

"Jack be Nimble  
Jack Be Quick  
Jack come jump on my Candle Stick"

Jack gagged as Twoface laughed, and then static. Jack felt himself sink in to his chair, he couldn't leave Riddler there with Twoface but he couldn't just leave Jason here to worry. He didn't want to bring the kid, not after the nightmare that had woken him up and he certainly didn't trust Twoface not to kill the kid. He had to think of something quick and he needed to think of it now or else he was going to loose someone who was as close as a friend as he could think of. 

"Damn it!" Jack cursed and sank to the floor as he tried to think of a solution, he couldn't exactly just hire a babysitter...could he? His brain came up with a rather crazy solution but it was crazy enough it might actually work. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone, staring at it for a moment before he pulled up the contact he needed and hit the dial button.

"Wayne manor," Alfred's voice was hard to hear and Jack waited a moment longer than what was polite, "Hello?"

"It's me..." Jack's voice cracked and he took a deep breath, "I need a favor."


	5. GunShot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW - Not Actually but there is a reference to what could have been rape. Depends how you look at it - can go either way.

Jack was sitting in the car, his hands shaking and his foot tapping relentlessly as they waited near the gates of Wayne Manor. Jack had asked Alphred to take in Jason for the next few days so he could look after the Two Face problem. The elderly man had agreed before Jack had even finished asking him and as much as Jack himself wanted to step through those gates and throw himself at Bruce, he wasn't ready.

"Be good," Jack said softly and Jason looked up at him with puppy eyes and a pout, "Seriously, Jason, I don't want to come back here and learn you've done something, just...please."

"Okay, but you'll be back for me, right?" He asked, looking down at his lap and fiddling with the strings of his hoodie, "You won't just ditch me here."

"I'll be back, I promise, okay?" Jack ruffled the boy's hair and opened the car door for him, "Don't let Bruce scare you either, alright?"

"I'll try," Jason mumbled and headed for the gates. Alfred was already waiting for him, opening the gate and letting the boy inside, the old man turned to look at Jack and gave him a single nod before leading the young teen inside the grounds.

Jack took a deep breath and drove away, looking back in the rearview mirror, watching the one place he thought had been home shrink and then disappear as he moved into traffic. He would have to make his way to Arkham, that was the last known location of Riddler, he had been hiding out there since the big breakout and fire. Getting in shouldn't be too hard, considering that Superman had punched a hole right through the middle of the place.

Jack giggled at the memory, his hands tightening on the wheel, his foot pressing deeper into the gas, speeding his way through the streets, faster and faster, running lights and cutting off several cars.

Like a switch in his head, Jack fell back into the Joker like a pair of well loved shoes and his giggling grew into laughter, his foot pressed tight against the gas as his driving became more and more deadly, drifting around the next corner at neck breaking speed and paying little mind to the pedestrian he nearly killed. Maybe he wanted the cops to catch him, maybe he wanted someone to stop him as he raced towards the old prison, the car crashing through what was left of the front gate and he parked the vehicle through the front door.

"Knock Knock!" He howled as he crawled out of the sunroof and stood for a moment. He felt his smile stretch painfully as the silence of the prison echoed around him. He stood out in his pristine white suit, like a doll newly bought his curls fell around his shoulders in mane of green. He hopped on to the hood and waited for a moment before stepping down to the floor. He held his cane tight as he started to walk through the decrepit building. Barely into winter and it looked as if the place had been ransacked and left for dead years ago.

"Olly Olly Oxen Free!" Joker sang as he danced and turned, hopping over some fallen medical bed and continued deeper in the prison. He felt the hairs on his arms raise and a tickling at the back of his neck called for caution as he came up to the games room. Joker stepped close to the wall as the scent of cigars wafted from his memory, pain and the taste of tobacco brought bile from his stomach and he forced his breathing to keep pace as his heart lurched into his throat.

Something crashed and Joker reached for the gun at his ribs, neon green meeting neon green as a cat slinked out from a locker, hissing from behind a locked gate. Joker wondered if the poor thing was one of Selina's children, wondered if she was a trap for the Fem Fatale. He stood still for a while longer before he slipped into the games room, he'd come back for the cat later.

Twoface was all about control, he wanted it, he thrived off it, it was why he forced his control on to others. Joker's eyes narrowed as he remembered the kind of control Dent had forced on to him. Joker remembered teeth on his shoulder, nails on his hips and a hand in his hair. He remembered tearing a chunk of hair from Twoface's scalp, ripping his nails into the clean side of the man's face and biting into flesh when the man above him tried to silence him.

Twoface got as far as ripping Joker's scrubs off, but when blood was drawn it was moths to a flame and everyone started to lose their minds. The violent prisoners turned savage at the sound of screams and came running for their own piece of Joker's flesh. The smaller prisoners had run to get out of the crossfire.

Everyone except for Riddler and Scarecrow, victims in their own right, had come flying into the fray and tore Joker out from under the larger men and the three of them found a door and closed it tight. 

Joker could still hear Twoface screaming from the other side of the door, he had lost control and then lost his mind, taking his anger out on whoever was stupid enough to gain his attention. Joker, Riddler and Scarecrow had squatted in that room for who knows how long as alarms blared. The entire complex was flooded with smoke and gas, the three prisoners coughed and gagged until they finally succumbed to the drugged air and passed out in a knot of limbs, torn clothes and wounded flesh.

Joker had woken in his cell with Scarecrow on the bottom bunk. The two of them just stared at one another and then pressed themselves tight against the glass door and tried to see or hear anything. Then someone screamed. They continued to scream well into the night, howling for mercy and then silence.

Scarecrow and Joker were huddled in their cell. Joker lay under the bed, hands over his ears as he tried to muffle the torture one of his only friends was enduring. Scarecrow was folded in on himself, singing a lullaby as he pressed his head against the wall. The silence was even more deafening. Scarecrow joined Joker under the bed, the two of them pressed together with their arms tangled around their heads as they focused on their breathing and soft lullabies.

Joker shook his head, clearing it as he strained to listen to any sound, Twoface could be anywhere and Riddler was hiding somewhere. Twoface wanted control, so he would find somewhere that would put Joker at a disadvantage, so the games room wouldn't be ideal, too much open space for him to bounce around in. Twoface was smart though, he would have traps, or security triggers. He was dependent on what he believed was luck, despite his two faced coin.

Joker knew both sides were scratched all the hell now.

He stepped carefully over chairs and tables, old blood stains that he could put names too seemed to almost glow with memory as he moved forwards. He could feel eyes on him and he wondered if Twoface somehow got the security back online. Should be impossible since Superman landed on it but Twoface was resourceful. Joker's eyes looked up to the security cameras, squinting to see if the little red light flickered with power. For a moment he was sure they were dead...and then the damn thing moved.

Twoface had eyes. With quick reflexes he grabbed the gun and aimed, grinning wildly as he pulled the trigger and shot the camera dead. The sound of the gun echoed and Joker leapt over tables and chairs and found the blind spot he knew would protect him. He stood silent for a moment, counting his breaths as he listened to frantic whirling of cameras moving. They didn't have lights though, Joker thought, they were working on whatever faulty wiring Twoface had come up with and were unreliable. Joker aimed for the ceiling and took out the few lights that were still running, putting him in complete darkness and the mercy of the moonlight.

Joker's skin and suit made him very visible in the dark, but with no night vision on the cameras he would be completely invisible to Twoface's eyes, he would have to come out and look for him.

"Hide and seek, you're it," Joker drawled as he checked his gun and then found a place to hunker down. Twoface knew he was there, he wanted Joker's blood on his hands so he would come and get it, despite the disadvantage.

"You think you're so clever," Twoface's voice was rough, he limped as he moved and Joker peeked around from his hiding place to get a look. The larger man appeared in and out of the moonlit windows, something eerily quiet in the way he moved. "You and your...fucking Bat...I almost had him too, you know, when they had that fancy bitch here."

Joker bit his lip, don't fall for it, Bruce was in the prison for days, there was no way that he had been allowed out into the population. Twoface was baiting him, he knew Joker wanted Batman, so he was goading him.

"I've had your little friend with me though," Twoface chuckled, "Riddler, he's fun."

"Keep it together Jack," Joker breathed to himself, keeping his eyes on Twoface as he got closer. He could hear the limp now, Twoface must have been hurt recently, so Riddler had put up a fight. His disfigurement was torn and irritated, blood was beginning to crust along wounds while the perfect side of him was ashen and beginning to show signs of frostbite. Twoface was falling apart, his rage or something worse was poisoning his mind, leaving him almost rabid. He continued to limp through the games room, Joker continued to keep his hiding place.

"Come on, you filthy mutt, where are you! You and your fucking laugh!" He howled and Joker covered his mouth to stop the sputtering giggles from coming out, "You and your mocking, I will make you scream for once in your pathetic life!"

Joker pressed tight against the wall, gun held at the ready, it would only take one shot, but he was as blind as Twoface was, and while he was sure he could outrun the larger man, he wasn't positive if the other would go full feral on him and tear him apart anyways. He needed a clean kill shot, he needed to get within range, but in order to do that, he needed to get closer.

"I know you're here," Twoface growled, "I know you're here, I know you're here," He continued to babble, repeating himself as he moved. Joker waited for the pattern, Twoface had an obsession with duality, with luck and chance, he had a thing for twos. He would eventually bring out that damn coin of his, or he would start to count, his ticks were predictable. He would continue to search, he would do it twice, in the exact same pattern, so Joker had to watch him. He had to watch for the blind spots, had to see where he could slip in and get behind or right in front of him. Putting a bullet in the man's brain was a mercy killing, too kind for the crap he had done, but at least he would be dead.

_Tap Tap_

Joker picked up the foot taps as Twoface continued to walk, twenty-two steps, stop, two foot taps, did a 180, looked, did it again and kept walking.

Joker counted, twenty-two steps, two taps, 180...wait...another 180 and continue. Twoface could never leave that pattern. Obsessive Compulsive, Harley would tell him, He would melt down if things didn't go exactly as he wanted. He wondered if Harish did things on purpose to mess with Twoface. Maybe that was why they had lunch at exactly 11:57 and not noon, or that their games hour was exactly 59 minutes and not a full 60. Everything was uneven and set to odd numbers. No one else would have been bothered, but for Twoface it must have been torture.

Twenty-two steps, two foot taps...

Joker breathed.

For a moment too long there was absolute silence and both men stood still. Twoface's breathing became ragged as his anger boiled but Joker continued to hide, slipping from one hiding spot to the next. He could feel his heart rattling his ribs, the shake in his hands as they continued to orbit around one another.

"You came in here asking for trouble and now you hide like a fucking coward! Where are you!" Twoface howled as he came back to his starting point. Joker bit his lip, resisting the urge to jest, to make fun of, he couldn't risk it. Twoface was complete unhinged and dangerous, a lost cause, if Joker revealed himself he would become a prisoner here, a toy for the larger man to play with.

The second one, which was probably why he was so desperate. Riddler must be hidden away somewhere in the depths of this damned place.

Twenty-two steps, two taps, another breath held, another 180 turn. Joker continued to move like a wraith in a graveyard, he barely made a sound, trapping Twoface in his own head as he muttered over and over 'I know you're here' and continued to count steps. Joker cut through the center of the path, moving from one pillar to another and he heard Twoface roar. Freezing, Joker thought for a heartbeat that he had been seen and the sound of clattering chairs and the breaking of tables made his blood run cold. He held his breath and waited.

_Tap, Tap... Tap, Tap..._

Twoface moved closer, Joker counted his steps.

Eighteen...

Nineteen...

Twenty...

"I see you..." Joker's eyes widened as Twoface paused and looked right at him. There was a breath of complete stillness, a rabbit cornered by the wolf. Joker raised the gun but a shot never came. Blood spurted from the larger man's mouth and he looked down to see a sharpened pipe penetrating his chest. Twoface looked up, coughed again and then collapsed.

Riddler stood behind her, shaken and wounded. Joker could make out bruises and wounds that littered the frail man's body.

"I saw...I saw you on the cameras..." Riddler stuttered, pointing to the camera above Joker's head, "I thought...I thought I was seeing ghosts..."

"Clever boy," Joker soothed, stepping closer to the shaking man with open arms. Riddler fell into him and Joker knew that poor Riddler was on his last legs. His body felt broken and skeletal in his arms, his body quaked and the terror in his eyes was all too much. "Tell me what you know about Harish..."

"Why is a Raven like a writing desk?" Riddler asked and Joker's hold on the man tightened. The riddle without an answer in a story he fell right into. He tasted the bile again and Riddler continued to whisper in his ear. "The Queen has the Hatter...and the Hatter wants Alice."

"How do you know this?" Joker asked and Riddler looked up at him with a sad expression, "Hatter..."

"Do you know what Hatter calls me?" Riddler asked, "The one who Alice follows."

"The White Rabbit..." Joker's eyes widened and he felt the shake in his hands as Riddler began to giggle, tears falling from his face as he stared unblinking at Joker, "I thought you were leading me around Gotham...But you've been leading Harish right to me,"

"No, Jack..." Riddler spoke gently and Joker choked, Riddler had never called him Jack, Riddler would never call him Jack. "I been leading YOU to HIM."

"You lured me here..." Joker felt his heart sink to his feet, all the while Riddler began to laugh. Harish had gotten to Riddler, had finally broken the only one left that Joker could trust, Twoface had been a set up. How or why, Joker wasn't sure but as Riddler's laughter became sobs he knew that the man was lost. He hugged his friend one last time, held him tightly against his chest as he sobbed and pressed the gun to the side of his head.

The sound of the shot echoed, but the sound of Riddler's silence was the loudest thing Joker had ever heard. He let the body drop and stood above him, watching the blood spread out from the wound like some twisted angel of Death. Harish was here, somewhere, he would find whatever was left of him and make him pay. He cocked the gun and stepped deeper in to the Prison.


	6. Gordon

The prison became dark as Joker roamed deeper into Arkham. All he could hear was his heartbeat and he was sure his breathing was loud enough for Harish to hear. He held his gun low and watched the shadows. Beads of sweat rolled down his back as he pressed himself close to the walls, peeking around corners and slipping down the halls. He knew this prison like the back of his hand, he could slip in and out of this place like well worn shoes, but now it felt strange, a stray pebble that had made its way in through the holes in the soul. His thoughts raced as he peered around another corner. 

“I know you’re here Harish! I’ll chase you around all night!” Joker called out, frustrated that the man wasn’t showing himself. 

Silence. 

Joker pressed his back against a wall, staring across the hall at the prison map smeared with something red. Maybe Harish wasn’t here, maybe Riddler had just been babbling bullshit in his insanity, brought TwoFace here for some kind of sick revenge. Revenge against who, he was no longer sure, why put Joker in danger when he had been the one to help lick his wounds. He thought of all those little hints and riddles he had been given, most were utter nonsense but they always put him in the right place. 

“So why here?” He asked and stepped closer to the map and looked deeper into it, passed the red and deep into the rotting body of the prison. “How is a Raven like a Writing Desk?”

A simple riddle without an answer, one that kept people up at night, scratching for one, but the truth? There wasn’t, some would say the answer was simple while others would go deeper, but either way, it was up for debate, but the fact of the matter was:

Joker touched the map and a smile twisted itself onto his face as he pressed his finger against the Visitation room. “It’s not.” 

Harish always had a thing for rules, unlike Joker who would rather break them. He moved swiftly back towards the front of the prison checking the clip in his gun while moving through the maze of halls and cell blocks. He passed the games room and back out into the dark corridors, stepping into a section that he knew nothing about. The visitation area had been long since shut down after one too many accidents, he wondered if it had ever been fully functional. His gun snapped up when he heard the thick, wheezing laughter of the man he had been after. 

“How nice to see you Jack,” Harish coughed, his face pulled back into a sickening grin, drool leaking from his lips and dribbling down his chin and onto the table he was seated at. “Please, sit.” 

“No thanks,” Joker snarled, gun cocked. 

“I taught you better manners than that, Jack,” Harish growled and kicked the chair out from the table, “Sit,” 

“No,” Jack hissed, “You have no power here,” 

“Oh, Jack,” Harish clicked the sounds harshly, spraying saliva as he spoke, “I have all the power here.” 

Harish stood abruptly, sending the chair he was in flying and the table toppling over. Joker pulled the trigger and the shot echoed as he twisted and headed out the door. Harish roared and chased after him, Joker needed an advantage but Harish would know this hospital as well, if not better, than he did. The only thing he had over Harish was stamina, and his speed, he flew up to the second floor and rushed to find a hiding spot before Harish caught up to him. 

“I see you have changed your clothes, Jack!” Harish wheezed when he finally made it to the second floor, “White represents purity, do you see yourself as pure Jack?”

“Don’t psychoanalyze me, asshole,” Jack snarled, throwing his voice from behind a row of lockers, “You can’t get inside my head anymore.” 

“Are you sure?” Harish asked, his voice sweet as candy and just as unhealthy. “You are really simple to read, Jack, inferiority complex, you don’t like being anything but the best, obsession to the point of dangerous, you fixate, it’s why I knew you would come. Your dissociation and personality disorders make you seem insane but no...no not you, you know exactly what you are doing.” 

Jack covered his ears, years upon years of being called insane it was bittersweet to have someone say that he wasn’t actually crazy. He bit the meat of his hand to stop from bursting out into crazed giggling. He had to turn the game around, he needed to get Harish on the same level, he liked to talk, but so did Harish, so it was a gamble. 

“What about you, old man?” Jack hissed, his voice sharpening like a knife, “You can’t tell me you’re all there in the head yourself? What, was it lonely for you, in your own head, that you had to break in to everyone else’s?” 

“Oh no,” Harish purred as he scanned the area “You misread me, dear Jack, I don’t want to get into your head, no no no, that would be easy. I want to get in to your mind, I want to know what made you how you are, I want to know everything.” 

“A chemical bath and a bad trip,” Joker hissed.

“And the death of a pregnant wife?” Harish asked and Joker felt a jolt rip through him. Those memories were buried so deep that he thought they had been a dream, “An accident, right? The entire complex had fallen in around her. Do you blame yourself, Jack? The poverty you dug yourself and your family in to with...what was it? Comedy?” 

Joker took long, deep breaths, that had been years and years ago, he had already mourned them, right? He wasn’t sure, he couldn’t remember.

“You tried, though, broke into the plant you had worked at before, a good paying job, I’m sure, broke in and tried to steal from them the very night after your precious family had passed away. You still wanted the money? Or were you hoping you would die in that heist, Red Hood.” 

Joker felt his heart in his throat, not many people knew his origin story, he barely knew his story, he kept it as wild as himself because he could barely remember it.

“What about your Father? Jack?” Harish continued “You told Harleen that he was abusive, that he beat you.” 

Joker’s grip tightened on the gun as he pressed himself tighter against the lockers, resisting, he was a good shot and Harish was a large target, but his ammo was depleting so he needed a clear and lethal hit. Harish was being annoyingly out of range. 

“Come now Jack, I taught you better, answer me,” Harish hissed as he hobbled around the area. The dark was making it difficult for the man to properly spot Joker, but he knew sooner or later he would be found, might as well make it worth it.

“I don’t remember being married, Daddy dearest was a drunk and sure I have a suicidal death wish but look here, Doc, everyone and their dog knows this.” Joker let the laughter loose. The pent up frustration and fear bubbled up in to hysterical laughter, a twisted sound of absolute insanity.

Harish came running for him and Joker howled as he bounded out of the way, laughing as the man crashed into the lockers to make a grab for him. He danced out of reach and cocked the gun, firing off a shot into the man’s shoulder. Harish screamed and bulldozed through the flimsy lockers and back handed Joker, grabbing him by the hair and pulling at it hard. Joker laughed, pain ripping through his scalp as he dropped the gun out of reflex and clawed at Harish’s hand. Harish dragged Joker up to face level, beady black eyes bore into illuminated green and still Joker laughed, pausing in the noise when Harish smashed his forehead into his face. Joker yelped as blood pooled in his mouth, and smashed the heel of his hand up into Harish’s nose, breaking it. The larger man howled, dropping Joker but kicking the gun out of reach as tears gathered from pain. 

“I had such high hopes for you, Jack,” Harish growled, “Now, I’ll have to simply put you out of your misery,” 

“Oh, please,” Joker giggled, “The heroes have been trying to do that for years, what makes you so special?”

Harish’s smile was sickening and Joker felt that spark of terror rise from deep in his chest.

“Because I can,” He growled and lunged.

“Get off him!” Robin’s voice came before the young man himself slammed into Harish from above. The larger man screamed something incoherent as he crashed in the walls. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Joker panicked as Robin grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet and tore off with him. The two of them raced down the stairs with such speed that Joker was sure he would fall but Robin’s sure footed agility got them to the ground floor safely and he took a sharp turn and headed back around towards the back end of the hospital. 

“Answer me!” Joker snapped when they finally got a break to catch his breath “Why are you here, Bird Brain!”

“Your little ward nearly crawled himself out of his own skin, he’s fucking insane, I hope you know,” Robin answered “He nearly took out my eyes, so I told him I’d come get you.” 

“For sucks sake...I told that little monster to wait for me!” Joker hissed and snapped back to attention when he heard Harish crashing down the halls, “Get out of here before he kills you.” 

“Not without you, not without some kind of explanation on why you didn’t come back!” Robin snapped as they took a precious second to glare at each other before picking a direction and running. They dashed down another hall and Joker took a sharp detour, grabbing Robin by the cape and dragging him into a room and closing the door, locking it behind them and pressing against the wood. He pulled Robin on to the floor and pressed his fingers to hip lips to silence him as their pursuer rushed past them. 

“I wasn’t ready to come back yet, not with this asshole loose, not with Twoface and Hatter still running wild…” Joker explained,

“Two face is dead, I saw the body,” Robin hissed, 

“Riddler did that an hour ago,” 

“He’s dead too,” Robin pointed out

“Yeah...I know…” Joker said gently and looked down at his hands, “He didn’t need to suffer anymore than he already had.” 

“So you did the only thing you knew would help,” Robin sat down beside him and sighed, “Bruce doesn’t blame you, you know, he was asking for you when he came too, wondering where you had gone, I told him to flick on the news and now...we can’t get him to stop watching. He wants to go back out but...He knows that whatever is going on here...he’s not the Hero Gotham needs right now.” 

“Bats is nuts,” Joker huffed

“He dresses as a bat and chases people like you around, no sane man would do that,” Robin chuckled and Joker raised an eyebrow at him, “I never said I was sane either.” 

“And Barbara?” Joker grinned, wanting to tease but watched as Robin started to go pale and Joker felt his heartbeat rattle his ribs, “She’s here.” 

“We split up, I should have heard from her by now…” Robin tapped at the earpiece lodged in his ear and listened, covering his other ear to try and get a better read, “Batgirl!” He hissed “Batgirl! Barb! Answer me!” 

“Help!” Barbara’s voice ripped through the halls with the sound of a gun and both Joker and Robin were on their feet and out the door. Joker cussed as he and the boy wonder nearly collided with Harish who was standing at the end of the hall with Batgirl’s hair tangled in his hands. The young woman looked, for once in her life, terrified with a gun pressed against her temple. 

“Alright now Jack,” Harish purred, “Nice and easy, come with me and I let little Barbara Gordon go.” 

“Go fuck yourself,” Batgirl hiccoughed, “Joker, don’t do it, don’t listen to him, he’ll just kill us both anyways,” 

“Only one bullet left in that gun,” Joker said “I’d know, I used the rest.” 

“You dropped the gun! And didn’t pick it up!” Robin screamed

“I was kinda busy getting my hair ripped out of my skull, Thanks!” Joker snapped back and both fell quiet when Barbara gave a strangled yelp. 

“Now Jack!” Harish snarled, pulled back on Barbara’s head and pressed the barrel of the gun to her throat. 

“Alright! Just...let her go,” Jack said, putting his hands up. 

“Good boy,” Harish breathed and let go of Barbara. The young woman gasped as she hit the floor, standing up to run only to pause when she heard the cocking of the gun. “Walk, or I blast your brain all over Jack’s pretty suit.” 

“Bitch,” Barbara hissed, putting her own hands up and walking carefully towards Robin whose hands were outstretched towards her. Joker was moving slowly, a look of defeat in his face as he passed Barbra, eyeing her carefully. 

“When you first came to me, you would have shot her yourself,” Harish crooned, “You wouldn’t have cared if she had died, now look at you, trading yourself over for her. You have sympathy now, Jack, you care for the girl, you’re a better man, Jack, all because of me, see, I can make it all better.” 

Jack stood in front of him and allowed the man to whip him around to face the two who had come to try and save him, only to send him to his doom.

“Say, Bye-bye, Jack,” Harish said and Joker watched the gun come up and for a breathless moment no one moved. Joker reached over and grabbed the larger man’s arm, yanking it desperately towards the floor. 

The shot echoed and blood splattered. 

“Barbara!” Richard’s voice echoed through the prison as Batgirl hit the ground and blood started to pool around her body. Joker shrieked and reached for the girl, fighting the sudden arm around his body. Joker pulled the stolen batterang out from his sleeve and aimed for the good Doctor’s face. The man howled and dropped the smaller man. 

Joker rushed forwards, scooping up Barbara and grabbing Robin by his stupid cape and dragging him away. Robin cussed but followed, watching the blood trail along behind them as they moved for the front of the prison. There was a flurry of panicked movement as Joker pried open the door of the car he had hijacked to get there and laid Barbara in the back seat. 

“Get in,” Joker ordered and Robin hesitated “Now Richard! Or I’ll shoot you too!” 

Richard clamored into the back with Barbara, pulling off his cape to wrap around her middle where she had been shot. Joker took the driver’s seat and turned the ignition and laughed when the car started. Harish came running from the back, his face a mess with the weapon embedded in his left eye socket, blood dripping down his shoulder and Joker had the audacity to flip him the bird before turning on the brights and backing out of the prison, still laughing. 

“Hang on!” Joker whipped the car around and headed for the freeway, revving up to twice the legal limit and racing for the hospital. Robin gave a yelp as he and Barbara were thrown against the seats as Joker drifted around a corner, scattering pedestrians and setting off a police car. The sirens howled and Joker didn’t slow down, turning towards Gotham General. He nearly crashed the car for a second time rushing the hospital, burning the brakes as he finally stopped the car. Robin scrambled out, pushing the door open while Joker fell out of the driver’s seat. The older man shoved Robin out of the way as he pulled Batgirl out from the seat, cradling her as the police car pulled up. 

“Hold it right there!” James Gordon slipped out of the driver’s seat, gun in hand as he watched Joker stand with the bloody Batgirl in his arms.

“Oh...Oh no,” Robin breathed as the Commissioner slowly made his way forwards, “Commissioner, you don’t want to see this!”

James got closer and then...his gun dropped and he ran forwards with a strangled cry. His daughter was unmasked and bleeding all over the pristine white suit of a known killer. Barbara opened her eyes, her breathing shallow as she looked her father in the eye and touched his face with blood painted hands. 

“Daddy, I’m sorry,” She whispered with a smile, “I just wanted to be better.” 

“I was trying to save her,” Joker breathed, “He shot her anyways.” 

“You still saved her, he was aiming for her head,” Robin whispered, “But we have to get her inside,” 

“I’ll take her,” James said and opened his arms and Joker transferred the young woman in to her father’s arms, his suit a horror scene of white and red. He took off his suit jacket and covered the Bat Symbol on the woman’s breast, 

“I’m sorry…” 

James pushed passed Joker and in to the hospital, leaving Joker and Robin standing in the cold as snow slowly started to fall, leaving the world looking clean while the two blood covered men watched the hospital door. 

“It wasn’t your fault…” Robin tried again, “You saved her.” 

“And yet, here we are,” Joker drawled and looked down at his too clean hands, not a spot of blood on them.

“Please come back…” 

“No...not until Harish is dead and gone,” 

“Let me help?” Richard’s voice was desperate and Joker looked at the young man, a boy he watched grow from afar, and shook his head. 

“Keep Jason safe,” Joker said “And don’t come looking for me again,” He turned and walked away, leaving Robin standing alone in the cold, shivering as he watched Joker vanish in the city.


	7. Ginger

The chill of winter settled deeply over Gotham, a blanket of snow covered the city, silencing it with muffled peace. People were hesitant to step outside as the wind picked up and danced the snow down near empty streets. There was a tension that could be felt and as the days got darker, people sat in apprehension in their cozy homes. The news of Barbra Gordon had spread like a bush fire during a drought. The city was mourning the injured, and while reporters swarmed the police station to try and get some kind of word from the Commissioner about his daughter, a shadow lay freezing in a broken bed blaming himself.

Joker could still smell the blood in his clothes that lay forgotten on the floor. He lay bare in bed, angry red marks littered his arms, legs and chest with tears still staining his porcelain face. He was tired but couldn't sleep. He could still hear the gunshot in the back of his head, smell the powder in the air and feel the scream that broke his heart.

He curled tighter around himself, feeling the draft coming in from the windows, the cold seeping deep into his very being. Maybe he could just let himself freeze there, he was still human after all, right? Someone else could look after Harish, someone else with more power than him, more know how, more brute strength. He wasn't the hero type, he wasn't Batman, he couldn't keep pretending he was something he wasn't.

_"He's not the Hero Gotham needs right now"_

Robin's words echoed in his head and he covered his ears to silence it. He was no hero either, he couldn't even save himself, how was he supposed to save the entire city? He listened to the static from the radio, hoping to hear Riddler's voice just one more time and not his desperate laughter that continued to ring in his head. He hated the sound and as he brought his knees up against his chest he bit his lip hard enough to bleed to stop his own desperate giggling from escaping.

He hated the sound of laughter.

He had only heard the fake and demented and he wanted the warmth of soft chuckles from Alfred, craved the silken chest huff of Bruce Wayne, he even missed the wild sound of Jason's freeform giggling. He wanted the real thing back, he wanted the happy sound that brought him joy and cheer.

His shivering stopped and Joker could feel the tell tale drowsiness that would follow if he continued to lay naked in his own bed. He would be breaking so many promises if he died, he would be leaving Jason, he would be leaving Dick to handle Harish, he would be leaving Bruce alone in the big house without a real good bye.

_Mr. J_

Well that was a new voice he hadn't heard in a while. He gave a soft smile as he closed his eyes and pictured the bouncy blonde in his head.

_Mr. J, you can't stay down like this_

"Why not?" He asked softly to no one

_You promised me you'd get 'im for me, that's why_

"I never kept my promises to you," Joker reminded the voice in his head, "I never kept my promises to anyone, not you, not her, not him, not even myself."

_Bullshit_

Joker snorted and felt his chest vibrate with a silent giggle,

_You always kept your promise to Bats_

Joker's eyes snapped open and he watched his breath dance around him as he panted out a few breaths.

_You promised him you'd get 'im, you promised Bats and you never broke your promise to Bats_

"Can't I...just once?" Joker asked, his voice gentle as he reached out to the phantom that hovered inches from him. Beautifully blond with bright eyes and a smile that held enough sharp edges to kill.

_No, no, no, no, no, no! Get up and get your acid washed ass back out there, you are not a quitter, you have been broken enough times your skeleton has doubled in nbones, you have bled enough to paint the streets red, you have been beaten to an inch of your life and THIS is going to stop you? A bitch with a gun?_

"It's my fault," Joker whimpered but couldn't take his eyes off the vision in front of him,

_No, it's his fault, he pulled the fucking trigger! Now put your fucking pants on and go get him!_

Joker sat up and looked around the old storage building but couldn't find the ghosts haunting his head. He wasn't sure, had Harley clawed her way out from hell to tell him off? She would have done it, or had he just imagined her voice in his delirium. He huffed out a chuckle and looked up at the ceiling and felt fresh tears dye his cheeks red. He could almost smell the lilies that clung to Harley's body. He never thought he would miss a woman he had used up like an unwanted toy, but there he was mourning her all over again.

"What do I do now Pooh?" He asked softly to the sky unseen above him

_You know what you need to do Puddin'_

Joker stood, the shivering returning with a vengeance as he picked up his bloodied clothes and listened to the shots in his head. Anger boiled from deep inside his chest as he watched Barbara fall over and over again in his mind's eye. He could still hear Harish's laughter in his ear and the vibration of it at his back. He could still feel the sensation of the Baterang going into the man's face and the feeling of him screaming at his back.

Joker's smile tore an ugly scar across his face as he pulled the suit back on, blood and all and grabbed his blades that he had dropped. He pocketed every trick he could find, every sharpened card, every exploding set of clattering teeth. He looked back and saw the snow falling outside the window as he pulled his coat tight against himself.

The explosion could be seen from the city below as the unit went up in smoke with every piece of evidence of Joker's existence inside. He wasn't sure where Harish would be hiding, but he had a hint on who may know where he was holding up.

He was Alice after all, it was about time he went for tea.

Joker was cautious as he wandered around the dump, he had searched everywhere in Gotham over the past week to try and find Hatter and after days of confusion and frustration he just started to search the most random areas he could think of. He had travelled to Ivy's old greenhouse and almost got taken out by some sentient giant of a plant, so no way was Hatter there. He ducked through the sewer systems, where else would he find a rat that big but there was nothing there. Joker finally threw a Hail Mary and headed for the dump, it was forest-ish? Hatter from the books lived in the woods, right? Or was that only in the movies? Joker had only seen bits and forgotten the book after Hatter started referring to him as the main character.

"Where is the white rabbit when I need him, hmm?" He chuckled to himself as he thought of Riddler. He scouted the area, a blade in each hand as he stepped deeper into the putrid smell of the garbage heaps around him. Heaps that could be mistaken as hills and valleys, with tall things protruding out from all ends that could be trees, trees that he knew held a hidden body somewhere among them.

A raven screeched from its perch and Joker whirled around in a complete circle, feeling eyes boring deep into him. Someone was here, someone was watching him and he felt a sick feeling in his gut as he continued moving.

"Hatter?" Joker called out, deep breaths to keep his heart in his chest, the cold air making him shudder.

"Alice?" Hatter's voice cooed from somewhere among the trash and Joker felt a jolt of accomplishment before it fell away when he caught the eyes of the man. Hatter was covered in a thick layer of dirt and filth, his teeth were rotting worse than before, tea stained and other things. His hat was torn and rat bitten along with his coat, with a closer look the man's fingers and ears were missing pieces out of them.

How the mighty have fallen.

"Alice, have you come to tea?" Hatter wheezed with a smile with still too many teeth. Joker gulped and took a deep breath, he needed Hatter to talk, and to make him talk he needed to play his game.

"Yes, tea," Joker said with a smile, "Tea sounds lovely!"

"Excellent! Excellent my dear Alice! Come, come, follow me! Door Mouse and Hare are waiting, they have been waiting for a long time! Come!" Hatter's excited chatter was followed by harsh cackling as he wove through the trash. Joker picked his way through more carefully and found himself face to face with a door, just a door, that Hatter was trying to find the key for. Joker focused on the door, despite being able to see around the simple piece of wood he didn't want to break this little world that Hatter was in. Hatter made an excited squeak and held up a key and put it into the lock, the key didn't turn but Hatter still opened the door and turned around with a look that said 'Ta da' and he bowed to him.

"Oh god," Joker choked as he looked at who March Hare was and just stared at the decomposing body of Scarecrow, rope still around his neck and parts of his face missing. Joker took a deep breath and tried not to think too hard about it. He had watched the man hang himself, but seeing him seated at the tea table was something else.

"Alice?" Hatter twisted himself in an almost unnatural way to see behind himself. Joker plastered on a smile and shook his head, stepping up to the table and taking a seat. The table was a mash of different coffee tables, end tables and a folding table. The tablecloth was anything that was made of fabric that could be tossed on and all the cups were tin cans, jars and a couple broken mugs scattered around.

Hatter giggled as he picked up a tea kettle and set it down on a portable stove. He found a bottle of water under the table and dumped it into the kettle and turned on the stove. Joker wasn't shocked that the man would have tea and water stashed cleanly, it was the only thing he cared about at the end of the day.

"Why are you here Alice, you always refused me before, so you want something, yes?" Hatter asked and set a tin can in front of Scarecrow and picked his filthy little rat off the table.

"I want to know about Harish," Joker said, training his eyes on anything but the dead man at the table.

"The Queen of Hearts?" Hatter cackled, head tossed back and a wicked smile on his face, "Poor Majesty, one eye short now I hear."

"You hear or you know?" Joker asked and Hatter giggled, swaying on the spot as the water started to boil.

"Both, I suppose," He giggled, "All stitched up, the Queen is an ungly looking Jabberwocky, isn't she?"

"Doesn't Alice slay the Jabberwocky?" Joker asked and Hatter danced around the table with a gleeful cheer and a babble of songs on his lips. Joker watched him carefully, keeping his eyes on the other man's hands and wherever they may wonder too. Hatter was known for his mind control devices and Joker would not fall victim to his tricks.

"Are you not Alice?" Hatter giggled as he hopped up on the table, "The Queen is hiding in Wonderland, you chased her from her castle and now she hides in Wonderland."

"Where?" Joker was becoming impatient, "You know where she is, so tell me!"

"Know where the Red Queen is?" Hatter laughed, "Do you think I'm working with that creature? Do you think the Queen has the Hatter?" Hatter spat on the ground and started to pour the boiled water in two proper tea cups, chipped but in proper condition.

"Riddler gave me Wonderland clues since day one, He lead me in to Harish's lap, you are the only psycho in Gotham with an obsession with Wonderland, only you would make up those stupid riddles," Joker hissed and looked down at the tea sitting in front of him. Hatter took a seat and his jitters seemed to calm as he looked deep into the tea and hummed softly to himself.

"The White Rabbit was giving you riddles in riddles," Hatter said softly "I don't work for that fat bitch."

Joker was taken aback by the sudden change in character, it felt like whiplash from the crazed chatter to this sudden calm critter in front of him. The rat hissed and scampered across the table as Hatter threw a mug at it, sending the rat flying off the table in running for the trash. Joker saw the anger in the man's eyes and the murderous intent.

"The White Rabbit knew, the White Rabbit was leading you to the Red Queen, but the White Rabbit knew that Hatter was listening, to I waited for Alice to come to me," Hatter looked at Joker and tilted his head, that broken smile spreading over his face like some nightmare that was suddenly becoming so much worse and Joker wished he could wake up.

"Why am I here?" Joker asked and Hatter looked at him, looked through him and then sipped at his tea. Joker looked down at his own and picked it up and took a careful sip. The taste of ginger and ginseng filled his mouth and felt calmer as the tea warmed away the chill. Snow was beginning to fall and Hatter swayed gently in his seat and looked up at the sky.

"Because Alice slays the Jabberwocky," Hatter spoke and turned to look at him and Joker just stared, watching Hatter watch him, unblinking and unmoving.

"You know me," Joker breathed, Hatter wasn't seeing Joker as a little girl in a blue dress and blond curls. He wasn't looking at a child wandering aimlessly through Wonderland and painting white roses red.

Hatter was looking at the hero of a story that was unfolding. He saw the demon that was Harish and the knight that was meant to take it down. Alice was the hero that cut the head off the monster and that was the role that Hatter knew Joker would eventually fill. While the rest of the inmates in the prison became nothing more than monsters and things that went bump in the dark, Joker had escaped.

Joker had crawled out of the rabbit hole and ran, he was the only one who had gotten out, like Alice falling into Wonderland he was the only one who had found his way from the reality of the prison and took the dream that had been freedom. Hatter knew that Joker would be the only one who could have done it.

Hatter knew, Hatter had seen it before Joker could have even planned it. Of course Harish had gotten to the White Rabbit, because was it not the White Rabbit who had worked for the Queen to begin with.

"Harish knows," Joker said softly and Hatter giggled darkly with the tea cup pressed against his lips.

"The Queen would have me head, but I won't let her take it," Hatter said softly "Joker, my dear Alice, I will take your secret to my grave."

"Why did you want me here?" Joker asked and Hatter smiled, just a pull of lips upwards instead of the crazed look of pain and dreams. 

"I just wanted tea with a friend, one last time," Hatter whispered and finished the tea in his cup and Joker watched the light fade from the man's eyes and Joker stood up and rushed as Hatter fell forwards against the table. He felt for a pulse but found nothing and he looked down at the man who had been stalking him for months. He had just wanted a friend, he had just wanted to let Joker know that he was the hero in his story and in response he had done nothing but beat him bloody and sent him running.

Jack ran his hands through coarse hair and removed the man's hat and placed it carefully on the table. He must have poisoned the tea in his cup, or he had been poisoning himself for months and just hoped that Joker would show himself. Jack looked up to the sky and let the snow kiss his face as warm tears began to fall fresh, the taste of ginger sweet on his tongue as he looked back down at Hatter and smiled down at him.

"I'll be your Alice," He said gently and leaned forwards to press a kiss on the crown Hatter's head, "I'll save your wonderland."

_Promise?_

He could hear more than just Harley's voice echo, there were several, voices of friends, of the man with a rope hung like a necklace around his throat.

"I don't keep promises," Joker said softly and brought his coat around himself as he grabbed the chipped teacup and slipped it in his pocket, "But there is always a first."

He could almost hear Hatter's laughter in his head, that stupid, silly man who had hugged him in the showers and kissed him during free time. The man who had bounced around him even after he had shattered his nose and broken his fingers.

His new favorite tea would always be Ginger and Ginseng.


	8. Ghost

The explosion from the alley drove smoke into the streets, scattering pedestrians and sending papers flying. Joker stepped into the streets with a red painted smile and black painted eyes, he looked like a horror story. He wore his traditional purple suit and trench, his hair was sliced short around his ears and while he stood in the middle of the road with a gun in each hand he didn’t move any further. The people of Gotham gawked, Joker had been wandering the streets among them for weeks, eating at their diners and slipping through the cracks without so much as a buzzer on his hand. He now stood before them painted and primped and looking scarier than they have ever seen him.

Joker looked at each face and pulled the hammers back, cocking his guns as he leveled them with the crowd. There was a beat of absolute silence, these people knew who Joker was, knew what he had and would do. This man was a killer, this man was a maniac and he was dangerous, he was smart and he was eyeing them all like candy in a store ready to be picked off the shelf.

“Good Evening Gotham,” He threw his head back and the grating laughter that he pulled from his chest sent the crowd screaming. He pulled the trigger and his ‘Bang’ flags popped out from the barrel. He aimed the gun for the sky and the flags took flight, bursting into colors of purple and green above his head. He watched as people scattered, running to the nearest buildings and hiding behind mailboxes. Joker stalked down the sidewalks, aiming his guns up to the sky and watching the colors explode, watched the people move out of his way, rushing to find a place to hide.

The fireworks continued to explode as Joker moved, preset bundles set to timed trip wires, greens, purples and oranges lighting the sky up in a call out for the man he had been hunting for days now. Hatter said that Harish was in Wonderland, so he was still in Gotham but he hadn’t been able to find him. He wasn’t stupid, he was desperate, Harish had become a phantom among the people, he had hidden himself so well that even Joker couldn’t locate him. He didn’t have time to be turning over every stone in this damned city.

He had to smoke the man out, he needed Harish to come to him, he couldn’t keep playing this fucking game of cat and mouse. The firework show ended and Joker stood in mid city Gotham, the streets bare of any civilized people but he saw eyes in the darker corners, bums and whores with nowhere to run, waiting for an opening to get gone without being seen.

“Quite the show you have going here,” A familiar voice spoke from up high. Joker whipped around, searching the rooftops before spotting the young man crouched on the edge. Robin...was not Robin, he wore a suit of black with blue painted across his chest. Joker felt a sort of whiplash as the young man stood and looked down at him from his perch.

When had he grown into a man?

“You shouldn’t be here, Robin,” Joker called up and that smirk that was all Bruce but everything that was Richard told him more than any words could.

“Nightwing,” He corrected and started his decent, graceful movements only the acrobat could pull off without getting himself killed five different ways. “I don’t remember asking for your permission.”

“I don’t remember asking for help,” Joker shot back “I’m pretty sure I told you to stay home, actually,”

“Since when have I ever listened?” Nightwing winked under his mask and Joker scoffed out a laugh. This kid...this young man was just as suicidal as the rest of them, “Jack, he almost killed her, please, I watched him tear apart my entire family, you can’t keep me on the sidelines forever.”

Joker sighed, a slow rush of air as he looked up into desperate blue eyes, eyes that said that Joker could say anything at that moment but he would still tear the city apart. He wanted to knock the kid over the head and force him to go home with a concussion, or worse, but so far every time he’s told anyone to do anything they just disobeyed him anyways.

“The moment it gets more than you can handle, you fly away, Bird Brain, I won’t have him damage any more of you,” Joker hissed at him, “I’m calling the shots, when I tell you to disappear, you do it.”

“And if it gets too much for you to handle?” Nightwing asked and Joker barked a laugh, 

“I took a beating from everyone in the Super Club House, you think some whale on legs can stop me?” Joker giggled.

“Hasn’t he already?” Nightwing asked. Joker tensed as he remembered those months in Wayne Manor, curled up in bed with nightmares that would make Freddy Crougar run for the light. He could sometimes still feel the pins and needles, the vibration of electroshock torture that had flat lined him long enough for him to escape.

“I’m still standing, aren't I?” Jack breathed. Nightwing shook his head, there was pity in the gesture and a thought on his tongue but the sound of a cocking gun brought a flurry of instinctual movement, both men diving for the nearest cover.

“I see you brought your friend back,” Harish’s voice was rough and sharp, the too sweet flavour rotting into something bitter. Joker motioned Nightwing to stay down, his darker colorings making him harder to see and with a missing eye it would be easier for Nightwing to get a shot at him than the brightly colored Joker.

“He’s not my friend,” Joker spoke, “More like a thorn in my side, but what can I say? I'm a masochist, I enjoy the pain.”

“I know,” Harish slurred, drunk off something that Joker wasn’t sure of. The good doctor had something up his sleeve, he was sounding too sure of himself, like he knew he had already won. Joker motioned for Nightwing to move, but to stay low while he himself slid out of hiding, gliding into the streets and opening his arms wide.

“What can I say Doc. You know me best,” Joker hissed, taking a bow and motioning to his painted on smile. Joker was able to get a good look at the larger man standing on a rooftop, he couldn’t make out the details but he could tell that Harish hadn’t changed his clothes since Arkham, there was still blood on the coat. He was looking pale, but that could have been a trick of the light or a reflection from the city itself but the staggering steps was making him second guess himself.

“You have donned your old colors,” Harish growled, “Turning back to your old self, Jack?”

“You look like shit,” Jack snarled back and heard the cocking of the gun and dove out of the way as a shot was fired. The gun sounded off, more of a pop of air than a bang from powder and for a moment Jack thought this man was firing non-lethals. He was tempted to run out and take a few rubber bullets to buy Nightwing some time but when he caught sight of the dark sticking out of the sidewalk he did the math. 

The man was packing one of Arkham dart guns, the ones used on most of the city's crazies, there was enough juice in those darts to put someone out in moments and if Nightwing got, Joker would have more blood on his hands. Joker had lost sight of the young man though, so even if he wanted to tell Nightwing to back off he couldn’t without giving the other man away. He needed a different plan, and if that meant risking a dart in the face, he’d take it.

“I hear,” Harish wheezed, “That young Barbara Gordon is paralyzed, such a shame Jack, you should have let me blow her pretty head in, it would have saved her all the pain.”

“Barbara Gordon has more grit and guts than you do, Doc, and that’s saying something considering the spare tires you carry around,” Joker howled out a laugh ducked as he heard more shots ping off the car he was hiding behind. Harish had lost whatever cool he had before the Arkham fight and was taking it out on Joker. Joker didn’t mind, he had worse beatings by better men and he wasn’t about to break the one promise he was determined to keep. Not this time. He peeked out through the car windows and saw Harish planted on the rooftop, watching him like a hawk. A shadow was slowly climbing up the side of the building, picking his way from handhold to foothold, creeping ever higher and ever closer.

“I see you went back to your old suit, Jack,” Harish commented, “Is something haunting you?”

“Ghosts,” Joker laughed, “Ghosts of the people you murdered with your experiments, ghosts of people tortured by your drugs, ghosts of everyone I watched you kill with a flip of a switch. I see the dead with necklaces of rope and poisoned tea cups. I see a pretty blond woman with missing lovers and, Doctor, they whisper things to me.”

“I think you need another session in the chair, Jack,” Harish said as Joker looked up at him, “You are beginning to sound delusional.”

“And you underestimate me,” Joker rumbled and watched as Nightwing pulled out his throwing stars, sending them flying with deadly force. Harish shrieked as the blades pierced flesh but was still able to whip around with the gun in hand and took a shot. Joker watched as Richard stumbled back, feet catching the edge and falling from that great height.

Panic, raw and terrifying pumped through his system and he rushed for the young man. He didn’t hear the gun reload, he didn’t hear the shot, he barely felt the dart pierce skin and for a breathless moment he felt absolute bliss and then suddenly blackness.

_He knew he was dreaming as he walked down the pristine halls of Arkham. The cell doors were wide open and the usual stuffy smell that brought a strange comfort filled the air. He walked the hall slowly, the walls were free of the blood and damage they had collected from the constant fighting. He made a turn in to the cafeteria and froze when he was met with four sets of eyes._

_“Come sit with us Mr. J,” Harley smiled and offered a seat. Her hair was pulled up in pigtails, high on her head and curling around her face and shoulders. She wore clean orange prison scrubs with beautiful blue eyes staring up at him._

_“Tea?” Hatter asked and offered him a little chipped cup from the table that was filled with pastries, teas and a single cup of coffee for Riddler who sat nibbling on a tart. Joker took his offered seat and just stared at them in disbelief._

_“You’re not dead,” Scarecrow said, “If that’s what you’re thinking,” He twirled the spoon in his hand before sipping his own tea. Joker shook his head, he knew he was still alive, the sudden pain in his chest was all too real._

_“Aww, Mr. J, don’t do that,” Harley said and picked up a cloth napkin and dabbed at his eyes, coming away with tears and black pain. “We’re fine now, see, look around, not a doctor in sight, or guard, not even Twoface made it here.”_

_“Where is here?” Joker asked and Harley shrugged “Have you always been here, is this real?”_

_“Why shouldn’t it be?” Riddler asked, “In your head, or not, does it seem real?”_

_“I want it to be,” Joker wiped the streams of tears that were running down his cheeks,_

_“Then here we are,” Scarecrow said, “We’re just here, having tea, no need for the water works.”_

_“Let him have that much, don’t be heartless,” Harley scolded, “Look Mr. J, you’re not just here for tea, okay, we all wanted to say something to you, so you gotta listen to us, okay?”_

_Joker nodded, finally taking the offered cup from Hatter, the smell of ginger filling his nose. Hatter was giving him a soft smile as he sipped at it, savouring the taste of it._

_“You did your part for us, you know that, right Puddin’, you saved us, in your own crazy way, you did what you needed too,” Harley explained, “I mean, you may have watched us all die but you were there, okay, we all just needed someone to give a fuck for a second.”_

_“You knew I didn’t want to come down from the noose,” Scarecrow said softly “But you didn’t turn away from me either.”_

_“I knew the moment you heard my first warning that you were going to blow my head off,” Riddler sighed, “I’m sorry you didn’t catch on faster.”_

_“That’s not your fault,” Joker spoke up and fell quiet when Riddler shook his head. This wasn’t his turn to talk, they had something to say, they had words that needed to be spoken so for now he was expected to sit and listen to them. He leaned back in his chair and held that little chipped cup close to him, watching the tea ripple with his movements._

_“I couldn’t see anything real anymore, all I knew was Wonderland, and I knew you were meant to save it,” Hatter spoke up next, “I’m just glad I got to say something that mildly made sense, I was trapped in that place for so long.”_

_“Puddin’, we all knew we were done for,” Harley said softly “We just needed someone to give a damn, and...well...ironically, that was you, and we know it’s a lot to ask, and we wouldn’t if we could do something about it, but we kinda don’t want to be dead for no reason, Bats is as broken as the rest of us now, and he can’t seem to get his head out of the rafters to be useful right now, you know? He’s counting on you too.”_

_“Besides, Batman won’t kill anyone, it’s against his code,” Scarecrow piped up “And, well.”_

_“Harish needs to die,” Riddler continued, “Quickly, and in a lot of pain.”_

_“And now you have that little boy to think about too,” Hatter piped up, “Your little Cheshire Cat.”_

_“Jason,” Joker corrected, “His name is Jason.”_

_“You did good, Mr. J,” Harley whispered softly to him, reaching out and patting the top of his head. Joker leaned in to the touch, taking her hand in his and nuzzling into it, just wanting that last impression of her, that last little memory. He opened his eyes and looked into hers, remembering the young woman she had been walking into his cell and trying her best to just do her job, those crazy blue eyes staring into his soul. She had scared him, he knew there had been something wrong with her, so he picked at it until she exploded into who and what she was today. She was smart, dangerous and beautiful and although he could admit that he never loved her, he still adored her in his own twisted way._

_“You have to go,” Hatter said “And Alice, give that bitch one for me.”_

_“One for you all,” Joker promised,_

_“Tell Pam-a-lamb I love her, okay?” Harley whispered._

_Joker nodded as the edges of the dream began to soften and the faces began to blur._

Joker woke slowly, the edges of reality coming in soft and then the headache and nausea from the drugs kicking in rather quickly. He groaned and rolled over to his side, taking deep long breaths so not to vomit all over himself.

“Oh thank God,” Jason’s voice was clear as day and Joker’s eyes snapped open and he sat upright to look down at the kid at his bedside. Panic sunk in as he looked around the room, recognizing it immediately as the one he stayed in after he had been found. He tried to stand but he couldn’t find his feet and Jason pushed him back down into the pillows and blankets. The young man then jumped into the bed with him, laying across his body to stop him from getting up again. Jason’s eyes were red and puffy, his face was irritated and Joker realized in that moment that Jason had been crying.

“Hey, kid, look, I’m fine,” Joker tried to sooth him but Jason’s eyes started to leak and Joker didn’t know what to do.

“You been...you were out for days, Jack!” Jason cried out, “We tried...everything but you wouldn’t wake up.”

“How did I even get here?” Joker asked, giving in to the fact that he was trapped under this child’s body and thinking that it wouldn’t have been the first time.

“Richard brought you back,” Bruce’s voice was deep and soothing, sending a shiver through Joker’s system. He sat up and looked up at broken blue eyes and a sad, sad smile. Bruce stepped into the room and sat down on the bed. Jason curled himself up against Joker’s chest like a protective cat, Joker almost expected him to start hissing.

“Hey Bats,” Joker whispered softly, pushing Jason gently off him, forcing the boy to slip off the bed. Jason pouted, but the clearing of a throat from Alfred got him to leave the room. The door was closed and both men sat quietly in their own broken though and cracking hearts. Bruce looked tired, his entire body looked like it was falling in on itself, his hair was glossy with mistreatment and he just looked awful.

“How did you survive?” He asked, a haunted shiver passing through him. Joker reached out and pulled Bruce in, the larger man collapsing against him, head on chest and body sprawled out on top him. Joker ran his hands through Bruce’s hair, his other hand a firm press between shoulders as Bruce lay silent against him.

“Practice,” Joker said softly, leaning down to press his face against those black locks, the smell of oil and Bruce’s own thick scent filled his nose, “And I guess you helped me along.”

“Why did you leave?” Bruce asked, his voice was an ocean of emotion and just as deep.

“Because you don’t need me,” Joker said honestly and Bruce huffed a sound deep in his chest and Joker felt the lick of a smile on his own face.

“Didn’t you once say we were one in the same? Different sides of the same coin?” Bruce asked and Joker hummed in response “I’m nothing without you.”

Joker chuckled and felt the vibration of his addiction come from Bruce’s own laughter. They continued to lay together, not a sound between them but Joker’s random giggles and Bruce’s soft chuckles as they simply were for that moment. Two broken souls coming together to fill in the spaces they had already occupied. Like melted gold used to fix a broken pottery they let themselves meld together to fix the cracks.

“I plan to kill him,” Joker said

“I know, it’s why I wouldn’t help you,” Bruce spoke softly,

“Wouldn’t?” Joker asked, tilting his head to the side as he stared down at the man in his arms,

“I won’t take a human life, but I won’t stop you either,” Bruce sighed against him “I won’t let him get away with what he did to Barbara.”

“So you’ll let me kill him?” Joker asked. The silence was answer enough and as the silence stretched on both men became comfortable, the weight of Bruce on his chest and the sound of a heartbeat in his ear the two of them simply slipped off to sleep.

They didn’t notice Alfred come back into the room and spread another blanket over the man he saw as a son. They didn’t see the tears the old man shed at seeing Bruce sleep restfully for the first time in what he would tell himself was days. Worry seeped off the butler but for now he would let them rest, tomorrow was another day, but for tonight, for right now, he would be a parent, not an employee, and do what was best.

“Goodnight son,” He whispered to the room as he flicked off the lights, “I’ll look after everything else.”


	9. Give

Waking had been a different experience when a man twice your size was using you as a pillow. Jack was barely able to shimmy out from under him without falling flat on his face to use the bathroom and then make himself more acquainted with the Wayne Family Manor. 

He slipped out of the bedroom and headed down the hall, he was barefoot and could feel the money spent on the soft rugs. He touched the railings with gentle fingers, the polished wood should have been aged but these looked new. Jack wondered if he had been the reason for the replacements, or maybe the rowdy boys that lived there. He stepped into the grand entrance and stood on the stairs and just stared, looking up at the crystal chandelier sparkled in the light it gave off.

How lonely Bruce must have been in this giant house with nothing but memories to keep him company.

“Jack?” Jason’s voice was soft and Jack sighed and turned to face the boy, offering the kid his hand. Jason rushed him, throwing his arms around his middle and nuzzling roughly into his ribs, Jack was half expecting the kid to bite him from the sheer force the kid was using.

“Missed you too kid,” Jack rolled his eyes and continued his walk, Jason gluing himself to his side, one hand latched on to the back of his shirt as they walked. They were quiet as they moved through the manor, a couple of ghosts just wandering from room to room, admiring the beauty of it all. Jason knew most of the place by now, but he never took the time to actually look, and much like Jack he was experiencing much of the place for the first time.

“The kitchen is my favorite,” Jason whispered, as if speaking too loudly would call something wicked to them.

“Mine too,” Jack said, his voice just as soft as turned his gaze down to the boy, “Do you think old Alfred is down there?”

“Yeah,” Jason perked up, a flush decorating his cheeks and a full smile on his lips that warmed Jack down to his toes. He pulled at the ears of Jason’s bunnyhug and their steps quickened as they made their way down to the kitchens. They peeked inside and saw that Alfred was already on task for dinner and the smell of freshly cooked meats and steamed vegetables brought a growl from Jason’s stomach, giving them both away.

“I told you to wait for supper Master Dick...Oh, well,” Alfred turned to see the innocent looking pair and gave a patient smile. “What can I get you both?”

“Hot Chocolate!” Jason was up on his toes in his excitement and Jack just gave a nod of agreement and headed for his little corner that was still set up. Jason hopped up on the chair that had once been Jack’s and Jack found himself seated on a stool that had been added to the set up. Alfred appeared and set down a small platter of cookies and two mugs, vanishing back behind the island and turned on the radio. Jack closed his eyes as soft Christmas carols started to fill the air.

“It’s Christmas?” Jack asked, and Jason nodded, “Since when?”

“Well, according to the radio, the last week,” Jason said, “Or haven’t you noticed the snow?”

“I don’t feel the cold, kid, an advantage to the nerve damage,” Jack reached across the table and flicked the boy’s nose. Jason snorted and flicked a gumdrop off his cookie and into Jack’s face. The two of them had a standoff before dissolving into a course of laughter.

“Christmas is next weekend, Master Jack,” Alfred informed him, setting down a hot chocolate kettle and a bowl of miniature marshmallows. Jack looked up at the man and just smiled at him, an upturn of his mouth and closed eyes, a genuine look without teeth or murderous intent.

“Thanks old man,” He breathed before he picked up the kettle and poured his own and waited for Jason to add his marshmallows and watched the boy’s intense look as he poured the sweet beverage over his mountain of puffy candies. They enjoyed their cookies and hot chocolate with the sound of Alfred and the smell of dinner, keeping their voices to themselves as they just existed in the moment. They finished up and headed upstairs, waving at the butler and trying to find their way to the sitting room, they didn’t know what day it was but the idea of cartoons was a good one.

“Lost?” Richard asked as they came around into the library. Jason dove behind Jack, hissing and all Jack could do was stare, “He’s been like that since you dropped him off.”

Jack rushed forwards and checked the young man over before punching him square in the chest. Richard heaved as the wind was knocked out of him and Jack shook his hand as the solidity of the other man cracked a couple knuckles.

“My turn?” Jason asked and Jack grabbed the kid before he jumped Richard and went full feral on him.

“You scared the life out of me!” Jack snapped “He shot you! Harish shot you! I saw it, and you fell from the roof! How are you not hurt!?”

“My suit is bullet proof,” Richard wheezed “The dart didn’t even touch me.”

“And the fall?” Jack asked and Richard rubbed at the new bruise that would surly form,

“I caught myself half way down and landed on Kid Fuckup, did you seriously think I came all that way without backup?” Richard asked, taking a couple more deep breaths just to be sure his lungs were working properly.

“Flash’s kid?” Jack asked “How...when? Why was he even there to begin with?”

“I just told you, Back up!” Richard snapped, “He was there to help.”

“Is his suit bulletproof too?” Jack hissed,

“Doesn’t need to be if he can dodge the bullets!” Richard argued back “Why are you angry now, you were fine with it when I showed up!”

“Because HE HIT YOU!” Jack screamed at him, shaking as the moment replayed in his head over and over again. He could still see Richard falling from the roof, he could still hear the crack of the gun and the shadow of the dart penetrating Richard’s suit. The sudden pain of being hit himself and that split second of absolute panic, what if Harish took Richard instead of him.

Richard watched the barrage of emotion cross over Jack’s face, a scripted play of fear, anger and relief at seeing him walking upright. He hadn’t thought that Jack would give a damn if he had been hurt, sure he had been there when Bruce was kidnapped, and yeah he got the man out of the prison, but he didn’t stick around. Jack had walked away from them, Richard had thought that Jack had abandoned them for his own sick plot and would come back with a new fire and burn the world to the ground. When he had walked away from the hospital and left them with the gremlin of a child he was sure Jack would just vanish for good.

Here he was glaring at Richard like he had caught a spoilt kid with their hands in the cookie jar. Richard just stared at him and he couldn’t see the crazed clown who, just a couple years ago, had a gun to his head. The murderer was missing and standing in front of him was an adult who actually gave a damn whether or not his blood stayed in his body instead of on the concrete.

“I promise...Kid wasn’t going to show up until he was needed, he was the one who grabbed you off the road and took off before Harish could even get his ass off the roof,” Richard explained, soothing Jack the best he could, “I told him to stay low...because I was scared too.”

“Good,” Jack snapped “That’s twice you showed up after I told you to stay away, and twice you got shot at, next time I’ll do it myself.”

“And then Bruce will never talk to you again for killing one of his kids,” Richard grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ll make it look like an accident,” Jack said shrugging,

“How?” Richard asked, raising a brow at him,

“Beat with a crowbar,” Jason snipped, grinning wildly under his hood, “Make it look like he fell from that high ass building.”

“Jason!” Jack snorted and started to laugh, not at all shocked when Richard joined in. You didn’t become a vigilante and not get a sickening sense of humor to go with it and sometimes murder was on that list, even if it was your own. The three of them laughed themselves silly and Jack found himself loving the sound. Jason’s laughter was childish still, cracking at the higher pitches but still wild and free. Richard’s laugh was deeper, still iconic and impish, the sound of trouble in the baritone of his voice.

“What’s so funny?” Bruce came around the corner and Jack could tell the man had cleaned up before he joined them in the hall. His hair was brushed back and he had changed in to a pair of trousers and a loose fitting sweater. He looked good, but there was a sadness in his posture, despite the smile, and Jack didn't have the heart or will to loose that smile.

“Apparently I’m beating Richard with a crowbar,” Jack shrugged “brat doesn’t listen.”

“And beating him with a crowbar is your best solution for that?” Bruce asked, his voice stern as he looked at the three of them,

“If he’s dead, we don’t have to listen to his smart mouth,” Jack shrugged, acidic eyes glowing with jest.

“Only child!” Jason cheered, “Can I be Robin?”

“No! You’re my sidekick!” Jack said and picked the boy up around the waist and let his feet dangle. There was a sudden mischief in the air and for a moment there were three of them looking at each other, waiting for the first move. Bruce got a sudden air about him, a thickness in his breathing as he smirked in his direction and Richard's smile became wolfish. Jason tensed, a giggle escaped his throat and Jack felt like a spring wound a bit too tight in all the right ways.

Jack let that energy loose and sprung away, Jason giving a shriek of delight as they tore off down the hall. He could hear the light steps of Richard on his tail, he wasn’t sure what the game was but the air lightened and the sound of laughter ripped from Jack’s throat as he tore up a set of stairs, dropped Jason on the floor and took off, hearing his young friend race down the other end of the hall. There was a thrill in the chase as he ducked around another corner, he knew Batman’s steps as well as his own, silent but not completely, he was a heavy and solid man and that much weight made noise.

Bruce’s feet stepped silently, every step dodging creaky floorboards and kicked up rug corners. Jack listened, his heart was in his throat and he snickered freely, letting the sound echo around the halls. The footsteps gained speed and Jack gave a trilling giggle as he fled from his hiding spot, rushing to another set of stairs and sliding down the polished banister.

“Alfred is going to rip you apart for that!” Bruce yelled at him from upstairs.

“Oh no…” Jack clutched investable pearls at his chest “What is a clown to do?”

“Run faster,” Bruce growled. Jack felt a tremor crawl up his back, leaving him breathless as he met blue eyes. He could always see those eyes and he described them as cold, a winter’s morning with a sky so light you couldn’t tell the snow from the horizon. But blue flickered in flames, hot enough to bend steel, melt gold and even shatter glass. Bruce’s eyes were hot and Jack felt the warmth seep into his blood, leaving him burning.

Bruce vanished for a moment and Jack pivoted on his heel and took off in a sprint as he heard the sound of feet leaving solid ground and the soft flutter of clothing as Bruce simply jumped from the second story floor. 

Jack raced from one room to the next, the excitement of having Batman just steps behind was nostalgic but knowing he was in no danger brought a different kind of fun into the game. Bruce was hot on his trail and Jack knew that their stamina was matched, they could do this all day if they felt the need. Jack bounded over the table in the grand entrance, the lack of vase and flowers making it easier as he stood on the other side, Bruce coming to a stop on the other side as they panted. They circled one another for a moment, keeping the table between them as they moved around one another. There was calculation in their eyes, a sort of mental warfare that felt out of place but right on target for them.

A sudden shriek, a thump and boisterous laughter echoed through the manor like ringing bells. Jack chuckled and Bruce huffed out a laugh.

“I think Jason just got caught,” Bruce spoke, moving around the table. Jack held up his hands, turning to face the man as he approached, feeling his face flush as the larger man took up his space.

“I give,” Jack’s voice was thick in his throat as he looked up at Bruce, his hands coming down to rest on broad chest. Powerful hands reached around his back, resting on the small of his spine and bringing him, pressing the length of his body against Bruce in something far more intimate than he would imagine. Jack could feel the man’s heart beat against his palm, smell the sweat on him as he bowed his head down towards him, those searing blue eyes burning into his soul.

“Dinner is ready!” Alfred’s voice cut through the air and Bruce and Jack felt a sudden chill, like ice had been poured over their heads. Jack shook his his as if he had been soaked, clearing his thoughts as Bruce just stared down at him, the winter sky rolling back in to replace the furnace fire that had been his eyes. Jack giggled out of reflex, covering his mouth as he trembled in Bruce’s arms.

“That happened,” Jack snickered and Bruce barked out a laugh, a real once this time, the one that tasted like chocolate and felt like velvet. Jack’s entire face lit up and he wiggled in Bruce’s arms, “There’s your smile!”

Bruce looked down at Jack with a beautiful full smile, all teeth and dimples that left his face looking so much younger. Jack smiled back, a softer look, no teeth and all glowing eyes that held the laughter of a child. Bruce reached down and grabbed Jack around the thighs, making the smaller man yelp as he was suddenly lifted and tossed over Bruce’s shoulder like he weighed nothing.

“What the fuck! Put me down!” Jack’s voice cracked with insult as Bruce continued to carry him.

“You heard Alfred, it’s dinner time,” Bruce spoke logically, “And we don’t want to be late.”

“I am pretty damn sure I can walk on my own,” Jack snapped, kicking his bare feet in mid air as he tried to struggle himself free but with no avail. Bruce didn’t give him an answer, just simply continued to strut through his home with Jack tossed over his shoulder like some kind of prize. Jack pouted, pushing against the powerful back and trying to squeeze himself from Bruce’s grip but in the end he just flopped himself limp.

When they did reach the dining room, Bruce pulled Jack off his shoulder and set him on his feet with a shocking amount of care. Jack threw him a dirty look but it vanished when he saw the spark of life in the man’s face.

“Thank you,” Bruce said, his voice deep with emotion that Jack hadn’t heard before, at least not in genuine company.

“For what?” Jack asked, feeling his face go red again and his ears heat up.

“Everything,” Bruce breathed, leaning down in a quick flutter of movement and leaving what could only be described as a breath against Jack’s lips, not quite a kiss but enough of one that he could taste the honey of Bruce’s tea on his tongue. Jack was left stunned as Bruce turned into the dining room, leaving Jack there to just stand in the hall to get flustered all by himself.

What the fuck was that!?


	10. Grounded

Things started off slowly, it seemed, nightmares didn't just end when you found a comfortable bed. Jack was used to them, and so was Bruce, but these nightmares were something different. Bruce no longer saw his parents or heard the shot of the gun, he felt cold metal at his back and the sharp pain of needles. Jack saw hanging dead things and the smell of rot coming off the bodies of friends.

Jack would wake and tiptoe into Bruce's room, the first night it happened he had stood in the doorway like a small child. Bruce barely slept on a good day so it hadn't taken long for him to invite the other man into his bed. They had lay awake for some hours, whispering quietly of what kept them awake. Bruce spoke about his time in the prison, things he could remember and Jack told him about Hatter. Bruce whispered stories of his parents and Jack told Bruce that he didn't quite remember his, except for the pain his father caused. They continued their tales until Jack slowly fell away and left Bruce laying there watching him.

He was bewitched by the porcelain skin and relaxed face, without the horror movie grin, Jack looked much younger. Asleep, the man almost resembled a doll, green hair curled tightly against his head, delicate looking hands and sharp cut face. He wanted to reach out and touch but he didn't want to risk waking the man. Bruce fell asleep to the sound of soft sighs and sleepy giggles.

Jack continued this after every nightmare, three days later he didn't bother going to his own bed. He changed in his own room and then would sneak his way into Bruce's where they would sit up for as long as they were able. They felt like children, trying to keep awake to chase away the pain, seeing who would succumb first to sleep. Jack lost most nights, Bruce's insomnia was hard to beat, and there were times where Jack would wake up to the feeling of a warm body pressed tight against his back. When morning came, Jack would detangle himself from Bruce's hold and go find Jason.

The Manor was more and more beautiful the closer Christmas got, not that it didn't take Jack's breath away before, but the décor was magical. There were trees in all the main areas, the largest in the grand entrance, reaching up to the ceiling and trimmed in delicate glass and silver. Tinsel danced around banisters and railings, beautiful colored globes hung from the ceiling, looking like bubbles of glitter and snow. The smell of pine was soft in the air, spritzed into the branches of the fake tree to keep the illusion. On top of the tree was a star made of delicate glass, nothing needed to make it shine as it reflected the twinkling of the lights in limbs of the tree.

Each room held its own charm, but his favorite was the private sitting room, a simple tree stood bare and ready to be decorated, the boxes hidden under the branches. Jack could see stockings and ribbons with tinsel and long forgotten decorations made by children now grown. Jack touched the branches of the tree and looked up at the top of it, he had destroyed the tree in City Center and the Malls all around Gotham but he didn't remember ever decorating one.

"Jack?" Jason stepped up to him, yawning and rubbing his eyes, "It's too early."

"Then go back to bed, stupid," Jack huffed and watched the boy sit on the couch and collapse in to it. Jack rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket off the sofa nearby and flipped it open, settling it on to Jason. The boy barely moved, slipping his feet up and settling in again and Jack stepped back and sat down on the sofa, watching the boy sleep.

"Jack?" He looked up and saw Richard step inside the sitting room and eyed Jason laying on the couch, "Think he's actually out?"

"Probably, but if not he's lived in a whore house so whatever you have to say can't be worse than that," Jack grinned and motioned the other to take a seat. Richard nodded and moved to the couch, lifting Jason's feet so he could sit and let them fall back into his lap, "What do you want, kid?"

"I don't know," Richard said "I didn't want to come in here and to sound like an ass but I'm going to either way,"

"So spit it out," Jack offered "I've heard worse, I'm sure."

"Everyone in this house knows what's going on between you and Bruce," Richard sighed, leaning back on the couch and watched the other man raise a brow at him.

"You mean our sleep overs?" Jack teased, "Because honestly, that's all they are, if you're trying to be nosy."

"I'm not being nosy," Richard countered, "I'm being..."

"Nosy," Jack interrupted and Richard growled at him. Jack stifled a laugh as the young man pouted, "Look, neither of us can sleep on a good day, so why be bored in our own rooms when there is someone awake to fill in the noise? Isn't that why 'Kid Fuckup' is on your speed dial?"

Jack watched the blush color Richard's face and paint down his neck and up his ears. A smile of delight cut across his face as Richard tried to find somewhere else to look that wasn't in Jack's direction.

"Okay, okay fine, look Bruce isn't the easiest person to get along with, I just don't want anyone getting hurt," Richard huffed and Jack gave the young man a look, as if there was some deep secret that he knew that Richard was missing. The older man sat back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling, tilting his head side to side before directing those eerie green eyes at the young man.

"Kid, Bruce is the stage play," Jack said, "It's Batman you need to learn to live with."

"I'm sorry?" Richard starred as Jack stood up and looked at the pictures on the mantle, a little boy sitting with his parents, playing with his new toys, eating cookies with a younger Alfred.

"Bruce Wayne died with his parents," Jack explained and tapped on the side of his temple, "Much like Jack Napier died with his Wife, there is no Bruce Wayne anymore, just a costume of expensive suits and cologne, all that's left is Batman."

Richard took a breath for a moment as if he wanted to speak up but then sighed. He couldn't quite get the calculations in his head to work, Bruce and Batman were one in the same but not. Richard shook his head and saw Jack looking at him from across the room, watching him try and figure out what had just been said. The pale man slipped back into his seat, crossing his legs and leaning forwards as if to tell a secret but kept it locked behind his teeth. Richard huffed and leaned back again, turning to look at the sleeping Jason who barely shifted an inch since they had started talking.

"Kid, you're acting needs work," Richard said and Jason's eyes cracked open, the sudden change in subject didn't pass over Jack's head but he let it go for now. "Sleeping people are not that still."

"You also sound like a damn jet engine when you sleep too," Jack jabbed, catching the pillow thrown at him. The three of them started to argue, Jason insisting that his acting was fine and he wasn't the one who snored, Jack was, while Richard insisted that not only was Jason's acting terrible but his snoring could wake a deaf man.

"What's going on in here?" Bruce asked when he joined the group, "How are you all awake before me?"

"Sleep? What's that?" Richard asked and gave a grunt when Jason kicked him in the ribs. The boys started to wrestle, falling to the floor and beginning to scrap. Jack watched with delight as Bruce stepped over the two of them and collapsed beside him, yawning widely and stretching. Jack flinched when he heard joints pop into place as bones creaked and muscles protested, sometimes he forgot how hard they were on their bodies. 

Richard's sudden, painful yelp distracted him, the friendly scrap on the floor had become a full out brawl in a matter of seconds. Jason had Richard's arm in his mouth, biting down hard enough to bruise while Richard was trying to yank the other teen off him by the hair. Bruce stood up and Jack followed close behind, both of them grabbing the scruff of a young man and yanking them apart. Jason hissed like a cat but stopped trying to claw Richard's eyes out and the older boy inspected a bite mark on his arm.

"Jason, what did I say about biting?" Jack snapped and the teenager crossed his arms and stared at his feet, "Jason."

"If you don't know where they've been, don't put them in your mouth, but Dick..." Jason paused for a second when realization crossed his face at the misfortune of his wording "Wait..."

Absolute silence and then hysterical laughter, completely disarming the situation in a matter of moments. Jason was going red but he couldn't help getting caught up in the sound, covering his face as he started laughing too. Richard, who had never been so glad for such an abbreviation of his name, was bent over and howling. Jack and Bruce were trying to be the adults, but gave up when Bruce's stern scowl twisted into an amused grin, which gave Jack permission to break into giggles.

"Good to see everyone in good spirits," Alfred spoke as he entered the room, heading to the dumbwaiter and opening it up. He pulled out the platter of dishes, tea and mugs, setting them all down on the coffee table with a place for himself by the large armchair. Richard sat down on the floor and Bruce found his seat on the couch. Both Jack and Jason stood back to watch as Alfred sat with his master and Bruce pulled a plate off the platter. Richard was pouring tea when Alfred looked up at them and raised a brow.

"Alfred would be offended if you just stood there and watched us eat while your plates went cold," Richard said, his head popping up around the couch. Jason jumped at the idea of food and took a seat beside Richard, grabbing a plate and a mug of tea for himself. Jack continued to hesitate, it wasn't as if he hadn't had meals with the other men before, it was just that he hadn't had meals with them in a family setting like this. Their meals had always been in the dining room, or he would eat with Jason in the kitchens. Bruce twisted himself around to look at him, those beautiful winter blues asking him to join them. Jack shuffled forwards, slipping in beside Bruce and taking the offered plate from Alfred and the mug of tea.

He noticed the ginger right away and mouthed a soft thank you to the elder as he sipped from his mug.

Richard and Jason finished their meals in record time, Richard standing up and dashing for the boxes of decorations and pulling them out one by one. Jason hesitated for a moment, looking between Jack and Bruce with barely contained excitement. Bruce gave him a nod and with permission granted the young teen dashed for the tree and started to help, plucking up all the little red bulbs he could find and scattering them all over the branches.

There was a pause in commotion when the doorbell rang and Alfred had to go greet whatever visitor was at the door. Bruce got up and put on the radio, bad Christmas music filled the room while Bruce slumped down back on the couch, perhaps a little closer than needed to his pale counterpart.

"We have a visitor," Alfred announced, his voice was gentle and everyone turned to see him wheeling Barbara into the room. The young woman looked a bit haggard, she hadn't been in the hospital for long, and technically she shouldn't have even been released, but with Bruce and her Father pulling strings she was able to get out for a few days for Christmas.

"Barb!" Richard vaulted over the armchair and headed for the door, bending down deep to catch Barbara in a tight hug. The young woman hissed, pain still ripping through her body if she twisted the wrong way but the hug was welcome. Bruce came next with a little less energy, dropping down to his knees to properly hug the red head, wrapping her up in his arms and giving her a tight squeeze.

Jack sank down in his seat, shaking as he remembered just how Barbara ended up in that chair. She looked awful, no one looked good after coming out of the hospital but she was pale, thin and looked bed worn. He was trying his best to vanish into the plush cushions when he felt a delicate hand on his knee. Barbara had appeared at his side, her sweater far too large for her frame now and a blanket tossed on her lap to keep the legs she could no longer feel warm.

"My dad said you drove like an absolute maniac, nearly parked your car through the front doors of the hospital," Barbara smiled at him. Jack looked up into eyes the color of baby leaf and saw life sparkling under the surface of her pain. He knew then that she would be okay, he knew the power the young woman held in her body and in that titanium heart of hers, not even paralysis would stop her. She struggled a little as she turned to face him, setting both her hands on his knees so she could look him properly in the face.

"I'm sorry," Jack finally breathed, noting that everyone was standing back, they knew he blamed himself for this. Barbara cooed and reached out, pulling Jack in to her and holding him tight against her shoulder.

"I blamed you," She stated truthfully, "For a moment, I was so mad at you, mostly because Dad was mad at you because he didn't know what was happening. He was angry at the doctors, and then at Bruce and then he was just angry at himself. I couldn't tell him what happened to me because I was scared he would go after Harish, or you, or try and call Batman and go after him."

Jack felt the tears drop on his head as Barbara spoke of the struggles.

"He then told me that you were the one who got me there in time, he said that there was so much blood in the car and on you that he thought for sure that I would bleed out first but your insane driving got me to the Hospital with plenty of time to spare. Jack, you saved me." Barbara pushed him away and there was a smile as bright and warm as sunshine breathing on a summer afternoon, "I'm alive because of you."

"He shot you because of me," Jack said, his voice was rough and he rubbed at his eyes to clear away the tears pooling there, "Fuck, he almost got Richard too."

"He shot me because he's fucking evil, he did it to get to you, not because of you, he would have shot anyone who walked through those doors," Barbara explained, "His sick obsession is his own fault, not yours."

Jack took a deep breath and nodded, he would blame himself until he lay in his grave but it was Christmas and she was sitting there, alive and smiling. She sat back, her hands coming down with a smack on his knees and a giggle on her lips. Turning about, the young woman headed for the tree, commenting that at least someone would remember to decorate the bottom of the damn thing considering how tall everyone was getting.

Jack watched as Jason handed red bulbs to Barbara, ducking down so she could shove a Santa hat on his head. Richard dug through a box and found a tin of popsicle sticks, hot glue and glitter paint and handed it to Jason so he could make his own decoration for the tree. Barbara was pulling out some other little handmade stars and Jack noticed a very old one with chipped paint and barely any glitter left on the sticks. This sad little decoration was handed to Bruce and the man stepped over the sprawled out Jason who was gluing sticks together, and hung the little decoration in the tree.

"Him and his parents made them," Alfred said "Master Wayne's Mother wanted something special for the tree and so she got every single one of us to make our own to hang. Master Dick made his own to keep the tradition going and then Miss Barbara made her own and conveniently left it here."

"Where are his parents' stars?" Jack asked as he watched Richard and Barbara find a place for their little decorations.

"He keeps them in a box and hangs them outside on a little tree near their graves, but he doesn't know that I know," Alfred said softly, putting on a smile when Barbara waved at him, holding up simple white painted star with Alfred's name in green glitter glue, "You should join Master Jason in making your own."

Alfred also had to step over Jason as he plucked his star from Barbara's hands and tucked it near the back of the tree, still there and seen by the family but hidden away much like Alfred was, always watching over them all. Jack found himself joining Jason on the floor, grabbing a few sticks and gluing them together. He didn't think he deserved the honor of being on the tree, but Jason was having so much fun that he had to join the boy.

Jason gave a whoop when he popped up on his knees, his star was red, his name neatly scrawled near the bottom with a black ribbon tied to the top. He rushed over and almost shoved his little hand made star onto a branch, stepping back with a delighted laugh. Jack was staring down at his own star, it was purple in color and it had felt strange to write 'Jack' on the bottom of one of the points but still it was a warm feeling to have one of his own.

"Come on Jack," Jason's endless energy was infectious and Jack stepped forwards and set his little decoration a couple branches below Bruce's own well worn star.

"Perfect," Bruce's voice was close to Jack's ear and he craned his neck back to look up into the other man's face. Bruce was standing close to him, nearly chest to back and those winter blues were melting away to show those deep flames that Bruce hid from the world. Jack shuddered as powerful hands rested on his shoulders, the touch itself sending heat through his body. Ever since the chase, since the kiss, Bruce had been hot and cold but Jack waited for the other to make up his mind. There was a tension between them, an electric shock that was obvious to anyone who had a working set of eyes.

Bruce's hands moved from Jack's shoulders, down his arms and one hand took his in a tight hold, tugging at him. Jack followed willingly, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room and acutely aware that every single of them could end his life, one of them with a sniper rifle. He wasn't worried though, he was actually oddly calm, the feeling of Bruce's hand in his, the feeling of following him through the manor, up the stairs and out onto a balcony was soothing. The winter cold didn't bother him, and Bruce's flannel pajamas kept him protected from the chill as they stood hand in hand watching the sunlight glitter off the fresh snow.

"There is a Christmas banquet tonight, a charity for the Martha Wayne Foundation, all the proceeds go to research..." Bruce explained,

"I know, I crashed the party a few years back," Jack snickered, "Blew open your front gate and then got shot by Gordon."

"Right," Bruce rolled his eyes as he remembered one of the many times that Joker had bombed his home, "Well, this time I'm inviting you to the party."

"Oh?" Jack asked, stepping in close to Bruce, his side pressing tight to the other body beside him, "Do I get one of those fancy cards you send out every year?"

"No, because I'm inviting you personally to come with me, as my date," Bruce looked down at him and Jack felt his face go red, "If you say yes we'll need to put on one hell of a disguise, but then you also get to see the public's reaction to me bringing a man as my date."

"You think I would miss that?" Jack asked, a wild look of glee crossing his face, a smile full of teeth that promised trouble and a wicked little laugh.

"You need to behave, my Mother worked hard on this foundation," Bruce explained. Jack nodded, wiggling with barely contained energy, "Is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes!" Jack laughed "I can see the headlines now! Oh what fun!"

"Jack," Bruce's voice reached the bass that made Jack's inside turn to goo, "I'm being serious."

"So am I," Jack responded, popping up on his toes and pressing a breath of a kiss on Bruce's cheek. Time paused and Bruce turned to look down at him, waiting for a heartbeat before leaning down to finally give Jack the kiss he had been craving since the moment he teased him with it. 

Jack had heard that a kiss could make you feel lighter than air but this one, the feeling of Bruce's arms tight around his body, his own willowy arms wound around broad shoulders, he felt for the first time as if his feet were touching solid ground. The press of tongue against his lips made roots gather in his toes and dig deep into the earth and plant himself in the earth of Bruce's soul as the man explored his mouth. Jack could taste the rain on Bruce's breath and the scent of sunshine against his skin and as Bruce pulled away Jack felt as if he were breathing fresh air for the first time, he felt as if he belonged.

"I'll see you inside," Bruce whispered against his cheek before he stepped away from him, leaving Jack dazed and breathless there in the winter morning with the sound of church bells ringing in the distance. Jack opened his eyes and stared across the fields of snow and as the wind picked up and hit him with freezing cold air, Jack felt for the first time in a long time completely at home.


End file.
